ZA 


A  »<!^  ♦  «H*^^«  •<^»>9  ^  c<;;^^9  •^^^^  at'^^e  ^ 

:  I  THEOLOGICAL  SEMIN IRY.  I ' 

11     FrincGtcii;  IT.'  J.  fi 

*  (» 

'Vd^  rThS  "SS?  1849 
Scuider,  John,  1798-1855. 
Dr.  Scudder'S  taxes  lor 
little  readers  about  tne      i 


'^'^^.^T'. 


^/98-1855 


DR.  SCUDDER'S 
TALES 


FOR 


LITTLE    READERS, 


ABOUT 


THE   HEATHEN. 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE 

AMERICAN    TRACT  SOCIETY, 

ISO    NASSAU-STREET,    NEW    YORK. 

|g4f 


The  following  work,  so  fai  as  the  Hindoos  are  con- 
cerned, is  principally  a  compilation  from  the  writings 
of  Duff",  Dubois,  and  others. 

Should  the  eyes  of  any  Christian  father  or  mother 
rest  upon  it,  I  would  ask  them  if  they  have  not  a  son 
or  a  daughter  to  dedicate  to  the  missionary  work. 
The  duty  of  devoting  themselves  to  this  work  of 
Christ,  or  at  least,  of  consecrating  to  it  their  money, 
their  efforts,  and  their  prayers,  is  the  great  duty  to 
be  perseveringly  and  prayerfully  impressed  on  the 
minds  of  our  children.  A  generation  thus  trained 
would,  with  aid  from  on  high,  soon  effect  the  moral 
revolution  of  the  world.  Blessed  will  be  that  father, 
blessed  will  be  that  mother,  who  shall  take  any  part 
in  such  a  training.  And  I  would  add,  too,  blessed 
will  be  that  pastor,  and  blessed  will  be  that  Sabbath- 
school  teacher,  who  shall  come  up  to  their  help. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S49,  by 

O.   R.   KINGSBURY, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern 

District  of  New  York. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 
General  Remarks, 7 

CHAPTER   II. 
The  Color  ami  Ornaments  of  the  Hindoos,      ....        11 

CHAPTER   III. 
Dress,  Houses,  Eating,  and  Salutation  of  the  Hindoos,   .     21 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Marriage  among  the  Hindoos, 31 

CHAPTER  V. 
Death  and  Funerals  among  the  Hindoos, 37 

CHAPTER   VI. 
The  Gods  of  the  Hindoos, 13 

CHAPTER   VII. 
The  Three  Hundred  and  Thirty  Millions  of  the  Gods  of  the 
Hindoos — The  Creation  of  the  Univer.se — The  Transmigra- 
tion of  Souls — The  diflerent  Hells, 47 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
Hindoo  Castes, 53 

CHAPTER   IX. 
Hindoo  Temples — Cars — Procession  of  Idol.-*,    .     .     .     .     C2 

CHAPTER   X. 
Festivals  of  the  Hindoos, ....       73 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The  worship  of  the  Serpent, 7i) 


6  CONTENTS 

CHAPTEH  XII. 
The  River  Ganges, 83 

CHAPTEH  XIII. 
The  Goddess  Durga, 92 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Goddess  Karle, 102 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Self-tortures  of  the  Hindoos, 112 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Suttee,  or  Burning  of  Widows, 126 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Horrid  Cruelties  of  the  Kliunds, 137 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  revengeful  Nature  of  the  Hindoo  Religion,      .      .     .   155 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Deception  of  the  Hindoos, 158 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Superstition  of  the  Hindoos, 160 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Burmah,  China,  etc.,  etc., 165 

CHAPTER   XXII. 
The  duty  of  Praying  and  Contributing  for  the  Spread  of  the 
Gospel, 176 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Personal  Labors  among  the  Heathen,     ......      195 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Success  of  the  Gospel  in  India  and  Ceylon,  .  207 


PEUTCSTOIT 
DR.  ^Uf^pi^Kl^GlCiiL  / 

TALES  FOR  LITTLE' MBERS, 

ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 


CHAPTER  I. 


GENERAL    REMARKS. 

My  dear  Children — When  I  was  a  little 
boy,  my  dear  mother  taught  me,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  last  line,  the  following  prayer : 

"  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  keep ; 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  take ; 
And  this  I  ask  for  Jesus'  sake." 

Though  I  am  now  more  than  fifty  years  old, 
I  often  like  to  say  this  prayer  before  I  go  to 
sleep.     Have    you    ever  learned   it,   my  dear 


8        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

children  ?  If  you  have  not,  I  hope  that  you 
will  learn  it  noiv ;  and  I  hope,  too,  that  when 
you  say  your  other  prayers  at  night,  you  will 
also  say  this.  I  think  that  you  would  be  glad 
to  see  how  this  prayer  looks  in  the  Tamul  lan- 
guage— the  language  in  which  I  am  now 
preaching  the  Grospel,  and  in  which  I  hope 
that  some  of  you  will  hereafter  tell  the  heathen 
of  the  Saviour.  The  following  is  a  translation 
of  it: 

[lu Qu  T  /Ti-rey  <5  skeins  Q&TSry  cm  u  (S  zk  QcK) 637 

I  wish  that  all  the  little  heathen  children 
knew  this  prayer ;  but  their  fathers  and  moth- 
ers do  not  teach  it  to  them.  Their  fathers  and 
mothers  teach  them  to  pray  to  gods  of  gold,  or 
brass,  or  stone.  They  take  them,  while  they 
are  very  young,  to  their  temples,  and  teach 
them  to  put  up  their  hands  before  an  idol,  and 
say,  "  Swammie."  Swammie  means  Lord. 
As  idolatry  is  the  root  of  all  sin,  these  children, 
as  you  may  suppose,  in  early  life  become  very 
wicked.     They  disobey  their   parents,   speak 


GEN  H  R  A  I-    R  I'.  M  A  Fi  K  f< .  y 

bad  words,  call  ill  names,  swear,  steal,  and 
tell  lies.  They  also  throw  themselves  on  the 
ground  in  anger,  and  in  their  rage  they  tear 
their  hair,  or  throw  dirt  over  their  heads,  and 
do  many  other  wicked  things. 

Let  me  give  you  an  instance,  to  show  you 
how  they  will  speak  bad  words.  A  few  months 
ago,  a  little  girl  about  twelve  years  of  age 
was  brought  to  me,  with  two  tumors  in  her 
back.  To  cut  them  out,  I  had  to  make  an  in- 
cision about  eight  inches  in  length ;  and  as  one 
of  these  tumors  had  extended  under  the  shoul- 
der-blade, she  suffered  much  before  the  opera- 
tion was  finished.  AYhile  I  was  operating  she 
cried  out,  "I  will  pull  out  my  eyes."  "I  will 
pull  out  my  tongue."  "  Kurn  kertta  tayvun." 
The  translation  of  this  is,  ''  The  blind-eyed 
god."  By  this  expression,  she  meant  to  say, 
What  kind  of  a  god  are  you,  noiPto  look  upon 
me,  and  help  me  in  my  distress?  If  this  little 
girl  had  had  a  Christian  father  to  teach  her  to 
love  the  Saviour,  she  would  not  have  used 
such  bad  language.  But  this  father  was  even 
more  wicked  than  his  daughter,  inasmuch  as 
those  who  grow  old  in  sin,  are  worse  than 
those  who  have  not  sinned  so  loner.     T  never 


10       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

saw  a  more  hard-hearted  parent.  That  he 
was  so,  will  appear  from  his  conduct  after  the 
operation  was  finished.  He  left  his  daughter, 
and  went  off  to  his  home,  about  forty  miles 
distant.  Before  going,  he  said  to  his  wife,  or 
to  one  who  came  with  her,  "  If  the  child  gets 
well,  bring  her  home ;  if  she  dies,  take  her 
away  and  bury  her." 

I  hope,  my  dear  children,  that  when  you 
think  of  the  wicked  little  girl  just  mentioned, 
you  will  be  warned  never  to  speak  bad  words. 
God  will  be  very  angry  with  you,  if  you  do. 
Did  you  never  read  what  is  said  in  2  Kings, 
2d  chapter  and  23d  verse,  about  the  little  chil- 
dren who  mocked  the  prophet  Elijah,  and  spoke 
bad  words  to  him.  0,  how  sorry  must  they 
have  felt  for  their  conduct,  when  they  saw  the 
paws  of  those  great  bears  lifted  up  to  tear  them 
in  pieces,  and  which  did  tear  them  in  pieces. 
Besides  all  this,  little  children  who  speak  bad 
words  can  never  go  to  heaven.  God  will  cast 
them  into  the  great  fire.  Have  you  ever 
spoken  bad  words  ?  If  so,  God  is  angry  with 
you,  and  he  will  not  forgive  you  unless  you 
are  sorry  that  you  have  done  so,  and  seek  his 
forgiveness  through  the  blood  of  his  dear  Son. 


COLOR  OF   THE   HINDOOS.  H 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  COLOR  AND  ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  HINDOOS. 

My  dear  Children — If  you  will  take  a  piece 
of  mahogany  in  your  hands,  and  view  its  dif- 
ferent shades,  you  will  have  a  pretty  good  rep- 
resentation of  the  color  of  a  large  class  of  this 
heathen  people — I  say,  of  a  large  class,  for  there 
is  a  great  variety  of  colors.  Some  appear  to 
be  almost  of  a  bronze  color.  Some  are  quite 
black.  It  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  difter- 
ent  colors  which  we  often  see  in  the  same  fam- 
ily. For  instance,  one  child  will  be  of  the  red- 
dish hue  to  which  I  just  referred  ;  another  will 
be  quite  dark.  When  I  was  in  Ceylon,  two 
sisters  of  this  description  joined  my  church. 
One  was  called  Sevappe,  or  the  red  one ;  the 
other  was  called  Karappe,  or  the  black  one. 

This  people  Very  much  resemble  the  English 
and  Americans  in  their  features.  Many  of 
them  are  very  beautiful.  This  remark  will 
apply  particularly  to  children,  and  more  espe- 
cially to  the  children  of  Brahmins  and  others, 
who  are  delicately  brought  up.  But  however 
beautiful  any  of  this  people  may  be,  they  try 


12       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

to  make  themselves  appear  more  so,  by  the 
ornaments  which  they  wear.  These  ornaments 
are  of  very  different  kinds,  and  are  made  of 
gold,  silver,  brass,  precious  stones,  or  glass. 
All  are  fond  of  ear-rings.  Sometimes  four  or 
five  are  worn  in  each  ear,  consisting  of  solid 
gold,  the  lower  one  being  the  largest,  and  the 
upper  one  the  smallest.  Some  men  wear  a 
gold  ornament  attached  to  the  middle  of  the 
ear,  in  which  a  precious  stone  is  inserted. 
Sometimes  they  wear  very  large  circular  ear- 
rings, made  of  the  wire  of  copper,  around 
which  gold  is  twisted  so  as  to  cover  every  part 
of  it.  These  are  frequently  ornamented  with 
precious  stones.  [The  females,  in  addition  to 
ear-rings,  have  an  ornament  which  passes 
through  the  rim  of  the  ear,  near  the  head,  half 
of  it  being  seen  above  the  rim,  and  half  of  it 
below  it.  An  ornamental  chain  is  sometimes 
attached  to  this,  which  goes  some  distance 
back,  when  it  is  lost  in  the  hair.  They  some- 
times also  wear  a  jewel  in  the  middle  of  the 
rim  of  the  ear,  and  another  on  that  little  for- 
ward point  which  strikes  your  finger  when 
you  attempt  to  put  it  into  the  ear.  Nose  jew- 
els also  are  worn.     Sometimes  three  are  worn 


HINDOO   (JRN  AMKNTS.  ]  ;^ 

at  the  same  time.  Holes  are  made  through 
eaeh  side  of  the  lower  part  of  the  nose,  and 
through  the  cartilage,  or  that  substance  which 
divides  the  nostrils,  through  which  they  are 
suspended.  The  higher  and  wealthier  females 
wear  a  profusion  of  ornaments  of  gold  and 
pearls  around  the  neck. 

A  very  pretty  ornament,  about  three  inches 
in  diameter,  having  the  a])pearance  of  gold,  is 
also  frequently  worn  by  them  on  that  part  of 
the  head  where  the  females  in  America  put  up 
their  hair  in  a  knot.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
little  girls  sometimes  wear  one  or  two  similar 
but  smaller  ornaments  below  this,  as  well  as 
a\i  ornament  at  the  end  of  the  long  braid  of 
hair  which  hangs  down  over  the  middle  of  their 
backs.  Occasionally  the  whole,  or  the  greater 
part  of  this  braid  is  covered  with  an  ornament 
of  the  same  materials  with  those  just  described. 
They  also  wear  an  ornament  extending  from 
the  crown  of  the  head  to  the  forehead,  just  in 
that  spot  where  the  little  girls  to  whom  I  am 
writing  part  their  hair.  Attached  to  this,  I 
have  seen  a  circular  piece  of  gold  filled  with 
rubies.  Rin<?s  are  worn  on  the  toes  as  well  as 
on  the  fin2-ers.  and  bracelets  of  s^old  or  silver 


14       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

on  the  wrists.  Anklets  similar  to  bracelets, 
and  tinkling  ornaments  are  worn  on  the  ankles. 
The  poor,  who  cannot  afford  to  wear  gold  or 
silver  bracelets,  have  them  made  of  glass 
stained  with  different  colors.  I  have  seen 
nearly  a  dozen  on  each  wrist. 

The  little  boys  wear  gold  or  silver  bracelets ; 
also  gold  or  silver  anklets.  I  jnst  alluded  to 
finofer-rinsrs.  I  have  seen  a  dozen  on  the  same 
hand.  In  this  part  of  the  country,  the  little 
opening  which  is  made  in  the  ears  of  the  chil- 
dren is  gradually  distended  until  it  becomes 
very  large.  At  first,  the  opening  is  only  large 
enough  to  admit  a  wire.  After  this  has  been 
worn  for  a  short  time,  a  knife  is  introduced 
into  the  ear  in  the  direction  of  the  opening, 
and  an  incision  made  large  enough  to  admit  a 
little  cotton.  This  is  succeeded  by  a  roll  of 
oiled  cloth,  and  by  a  peculiar  shrub,  the  Eng- 
lish name  of  which,  if  it  has  any,  I  do  not 
know.  When  the  hole  becomes  sufficiently 
large,  a  heavy  ring  of  lead,  about  an  inch  in 
diameter,  is  introduced.  This  soon  increases 
the  size  of  the  opening  to  such  an  extent,  that 
a  second,  and  afterwards  a  third,  a  fourth,  and 
a  fifth  ring  are  added.     By  these  weights,  the 


HINDOO  ORNAMENTS.  15 

lower  parts  of  the  ear  are  drawn  down  some- 
times very  nearly,  or  quite  to  the  shoulders. 
Not  unfrequently  the  little  girls,  when  they 
run,  are  obliged  to  catch  hold  of  these  rings  to 
prevent  the  injury  which  they  would  receive 
by  their  striking  against  their  necks.  I  need 
hardly  say,  that  in  due  time,  these  rings  are 
removed,  and  ornamented  rings  are  substituted. 

A  different  plan  is  pursued  with  the  Moham- 
medan little  girls.  They  have  their  ears  bored 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  ear.  The 
openings  wdiich  are  at  first  made  are  small, 
and  are  never  enlarged.  A  ring  is  inserted  in 
each  of  these  openings.  I  have  seen  a  little 
girl  to-day  in  whose  ears  I  counted  twenty- 
four  rings. 

Flowers  in  great  profusion  arc  sometimes 
used  to  add  to  the  adornment  of  the  jewels. 

I  cannot  conclude  my  account  of  the  jewels 
of  the  little  girls,  without  giving  you  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  appearance  of  a  little  patient  of 
mine  who  came  here  a  few  days  ago,  loaded 
with  trinkets.  I  will  give  it  in  the  words  of 
my  daughter,  which  she  wrote  in  part  while  the 
girl  was  here.  "  On  the  I7th,  a  little  dancing- 
girl  came  to  see  us.     She  was  adorned  with 


16       TALCS  An OUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

many  jewels,  some  of  which  were  very  beautiful. 
The  jewel  in  the  top  of  the  ear  was  a  circle, 
nearly  the  size  of  a  dollar.  It  was  set  with 
rubies.  Nine  pearls  were  suspended  from  it. 
In  the  middle  of  the  ear  was  a  jewel  of  a  dia- 
mond shape,  set  with  rubies  and  pearls.  The 
lowest  jewel  in  the  ear  was  shaped  like  a  bell. 
It  was  set  with  rubies,  and  from  it  hung  a  row 
of  pearls.  Close  by  the  ear,  suspended  from 
the  hair,  was  a  jewel  which  reached  below  her 
ear.  It  consisted  of  six  bells  of  gold,  one 
above  the  other.  Around  each  was  a  small 
row  of  pearls,  which  reached  nearly  to  the  bell 
below,  thus  forming  a  jewel  resembling  very 
many  drops  of  pearls.  It  is  the  most  beautiful 
jewel  that  I  ever  saw.  In  the  right  side  of 
her  nose  was  a  white  stone,  set  with  gold,  in 
the  shape  of  a  star.  From  it  hung  a  large 
pearl.  There  was  a  hole  bored  in  the  partition 
betw^een  the  nostrils.  This  hole  had  a  jewel 
in  it,  about  an  inch  in  length,  in  the  middle  of 
which  was  a  white  stone  with  a  ruby  on  each 
side.  It  also  had  a  ruby  on  the  top.  From 
the  white  stone  hung  another,  of  a  similar 
color,  attached  to  it  by  a  piece  of  gold.  In  the 
left  side  of  the  nose  was  a  jewel  about  an  inch 


IIINnOO   ORNAMENTS.  17 

in  diameter.  It  was  somewhat  in  the  shape 
of  a  half-moon,  and  was  set  with  rubies,  pearls, 
emeralds,  etc.  etc.  This  jewel  hung  below  her 
mouth.  On  the  back  of  her  head  was  a  large, 
round  gold  piece,  three  inches  in  diameter. 
Another  piece  about  two  inches  in  diameter, 
hung  below  this.  Her  hair  was  braided  in 
one  braid,  and  hung  down  her  back.  At  the 
bottom  of  this  were  three  large  tassels  of  silk, 
mounted  with  gold.  Her  eyebrows  and  eye- 
lashes were  painted  with  black.  Her  neck 
was  covered  with  jewels  of  such  beauty,  and 
of  such  a  variety,  that  it  is  impossible  for  me 
to  describe  them.  Around  her  ankles  were 
lars^e  rinses  which  looked  like  braided  silver. 
To  these  were  attached  very  many  little  bells, 
which  rung  as  she  walked.  I  believe  all  danc- 
ing-girls wear  these  rings.  We  felt  very  sad 
when  we  thou2:ht  that  she  was  dedicated  to  a 
life  of  infamy  and  shame." 

There  is  an  ornament  worn  by  the  followers 
of  the  god  Siva,  on  their  arms,  or  necks,  or  in 
their  hair.  It  is  called  the  lin^inn.  The 
nature  of  this  is  so  utterly  abominable,  that  I 
cannot  tell  you  a  word  about  it. 

Married  women  wear  an  ornament  })eculiar 

Scudiler's  Tales.  2 


IS        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

to  themselves.  It  is  called  the  tahly.  It  is  a 
piece  of  gold,  on  which  is  engraven  the  image 
of  some  one  of  their  gods.  This  is  fastened 
around  the  neck  by  a  short  yellow  string,  con- 
taining one  hundred  and  eight  threads  of  great 
fineness.  Various  ceremonies  are  performed 
before  it  is  applied,  and  the  gods,  of  whom  I 
will  tell  you  something  by  and  by,  with  their 
wives,  are  called  upon  to  give  their  blessing. 
When  these  ceremonies  are  finished,  the  tahly 
is  brought  on  a  waiter,  ornamented  with  sweet- 
smelling  flowers,  and  is  tied  by  the  bridegroom 
to  the  neck  of  the  bride.  This  ornament  is 
never  taken  off,  unless  her  husband  dies.  In 
such  a  case  she  is  deprived  of  it,  to  wear  it  no 
more  for  ever — deprived  of  it,  after  various 
ceremonies,  by  her  nearest  female  relative, 
who  cuts  the  thread  by  which  it  is  suspended, 
and  removes  it.  After  this  a  barber  is  called, 
who  shaves  her  head,  and  she  becomes,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people,  a  despised  widow — no  more 
to  wear  any  ornament  about  her  neck  but  a 
plain  one — no  more  to  stain  her  face  with  yel- 
low water,  nor  to  wear  on  her  forehead  those 
marks  which  are  considered  by  the  natives  as 
among  their  chief  ornaments. 


1 1  I  .N  1)  (J  (J    ( t  U  N  A  .M  i:  N  T  .-^  .  1  C) 

1  liuvti  now  U)ld  you  yonietliiiig  about  the 
jewels  of  this  people.  I  hope  that  you  will 
never  be  disposed  to  imitate  tlieni,  and  load 
your  bodies  with  such  useless  thin^rs.  They 
are  not  only  useless,  but  tend  to  encoura<^e 
pride  and  vanity.  All  that  you  need  is,  the 
''  Pearl  of  great  j)rice,"  even  Jesus.  Adorn 
yourself  with  this  Pearl,  and  you  will  be  beau- 
tiful indeed — beautiful  even  in  the  sight  of 
your  heavenly  Father.  Have  you  this  Pearl 
-i)f  great  price,  my  dear  children  ?  Tell  me, 
have  you  this  Pearl  of  great  price  ?  l£  you 
have  not,  what  have  you  ? 

I  just  now  alluded  to  those  marks  which  the 
natives  consider  amonsr  their  chief  ornaments. 
These  are  difl'erent  amons:  different  sects.  The 
followers  of  Siva  rub  ashes  on  their  foreheads. 
These  ashes  are  generally  prepared  by  burn- 
ing what  in  tiie  Tanuil  lans^ua^^e  is  called 
'^/r6^  chaarne.  They  also  apply  these  ashes 
in  streaks,  generally  three  together,  on  their 
breasts,  and  on  their  arms.  Jt^ome  besmear 
their  whole  bodies  with  them. 

The  followers  of  Vrishnoo  wear  a  very  dif- 
ferent ornament  from  that  just  described.  It 
consists  of  a  perpendicular  line  drawn  on  th^ 


20       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

forehead,  generally  of  a  red  or  yellow  color, 
and  a  white  line  on  each  side  of  it,  which 
unite  at  the  bottom  with  the  middle  line,  and 
form  a  trident. 

Another  ornament  consists  of  a  small  circle, 
which  is  called  pottu.  This  is  stamped  in  the 
middle  of  the  forehead.  Sometimes  it  is  red, 
sometimes  yellow  or  black.  Large  numbers 
of  women,  in  this  part  of  the  country,  wash 
their  faces  with  a  yellow  water,  made  so  by 
dissolving  in  it  a  paste  made  of  a  yellow  root 
and  common  shell- lime.  The  Brahmins .  fre- 
quently, instead  of  rubbing  ashes,  draw  a  hori- 
zontal line  over  the  middle  of  their  foreheads, 
to  show  that  they  have  bathed  and  are  pure. 
Sometimes  the  people  ornament  themselves 
with  a  paste  of  sandal-wood.  They  rub  them- 
selves from  head  to  foot  with  it.  This  has  a 
very  odoriferous  smell. 

When  the  people  are  loaded  with  jewels,  and 
covered  with  the  marks  which  I  have  just  de- 
scribed, they  think  themselves  to  be  highly  or- 
namented. But  after  all,  "  they  are  like  unto 
whited  sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear  beau- 
tiful outward,  but  are  within  full  of  dead  men's 
bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness."     The  "  Pearl 


DOMKSTKJ   CUSTOMS. 


of  great  price,"  to  which  I  before  alluded,  the 
only  Pearl  which  is  of  any  value  in  the  sight 
of  Him  who  looketh  at  the  heart,  and  not  at 
the  outward  appearance,  they  possess  not. 
Millions  in  this  Eastern  world  have  never  even 
heard  of  it.  0  how  incessantly  ought  you  to 
pray  that  they  may  come  into  possession  of  it. 
How  gladly  should  you  give  your  money  to 
send  it  to  them.  I  wish,  in  this  place,  to  ask 
you  one  question.  Who  of  you  expect,  by  and 
by,  to  become  missionaries  to  this  land,  to  tell 
this  people  of  the  Pearl  of  great  price  ? 


CHAPTER  III. 

DRESS,    HOUSES,    EATING,    AND    SALUTATION    OF    THE 
HINDOOS. 

My  dear  Children — The  dress  of  the  Hin- 
doos is  very  simple.  A  single  piece  of  cloth 
uncut,  about  three  yards  in  length  and  one  in 
width,  wrapped  round  the  loins,  with  a  shawl 
thrown  over  the  shoulders,  constitutes  the 
usual  apparel  of  the  people  of  respectability. 
These  garments  are  often  fringed  with  red 
silk    or   gold.     The    native    ladies   frequently 


22        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

almost  encase  themselves  in  cloth  or  silk. 
Under  such  circumstances,  their  cloths  are 
perhaps  twenty  yards  in  length.  Most  of  the 
native  gentlemen  now  wear  turbans,  an  orna- 
ment which  they  have  borrowed  from  the  Mo- 
hammedans. This  consists  of  a  long  piece  of 
very  fine  stuff,  sometimes  twenty  yards  in 
length  and  one  in  breadth.  With  this  they 
encircle  the  head  in  many  folds. 

Those  who  are  employed  by  European  or 
Mohammedan  princes,  wear  a  long  robe  of 
muslin,  or  very  fine  cloth.  This  also,  is  in 
imitation  of  the  Mohammedans,  and  was  for- 
merly unknown  in  the  country. 

The  houses  of  the  Hindoos  are  generally 
very  plainly  built.  In  the  country,  they  are 
commonly  made  of  earth,  and  thatched  with 
straw.  In  the  cities,  they  are  covered  with 
tiles.  The  kitchen  is  situated  in  the  most  re- 
tired part  of  the  house.  In  the  houses  of  the 
Brahmins,  the  kitchen-door  is  always  barred, 
to  prevent  strangers  from  looking  upon  their 
earthen  vessels ;  for  if  they  should  happen  to 
see  them,  their  look  would  pollute  them  to 
such  a  degree  that  they  must  be  broken  to 
pieces.     The  hearth  is  generally  placed  on  the 


DOMESTIC  CUSTOMS.  23 

south-west  side,  which  is  said  to  be  the  side  of 
the  ^od  of  fire  ^  because  they  say  that  this  god 
actually  dwells  there. 

The  domestic  customs  of  this  people  arc 
very  different  from  ours.  The  men  and  women 
do  not  eat  together.  The  husband  first  eats, 
tlien  the  wife.  The  wife  waits  upon  the  hus- 
band. After  she  has  cooked  the  rice,  she  brings 
a  brass  plate,  if  they  are  possessors  of  one ;  or 
if  not,  a  piece  of  a  plantain-leaf,  and  puts  it 
down  on  the  mat  before  him.  She  then  bails 
out  the  rice,  places  it  upon  the  leaf,  and  after- 
wards pours  the  currie  over  it.  This  boini. 
done,  the  husband  proceeds  to  mix  up  the  cur- 
rie and  the  rice  with  his  hands,  and  puts  it 
into  his  mouth.  He  never  uses  a  knife  and 
fork,  as  is  customary  with  us.  Tiie  currie  of 
which  I  have  spoken  is  a  sauce  of  a  yellow 
color,  owing  to  the  munchely  a  yellow  root 
which  they  put  in  it.  This  and  onions,  kot- 
tamaly-seeds,  mustard,  serakum,  pepper,  etc., 
constitute  the  ingredients  of  the  currie.  Some 
add  to  these  ghea,  or  melted  butter,  and  cocoa- 
nut  milk.  By  the  cocoa-nut  milk,  I  do  not 
mean  the  water  of  the  cocoa-nut.  This — except 
in  the  very  young  cocoa-nut,  when  it  is  a  most 


24  TALES    ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN 

delicious  beverage — is  never  used.  The  milk 
is  squeezed  from  the  meat  of  the  cocoa-nut, 
after  it  has  been  reduced  to  a  pulp  by  means 
of  an  indented  circular  iron  which  they  use 
for  this  purpose. 

After  the  husband  has  eaten,  the  wife  brings 
water  for  him  to  wash  his  hands.  This  being 
done,  she  supplies  him  with  vettalay,  paakku, 
shell-lime,  and  tobacco,  which  he  puts  into 
his  mouth  as  his  dessert.  The  vettalay  is  a 
very  spicy  leaf.  Why  they  use  paakku,  I  do 
not  know.  It  is  a  nut,  which^they  cut  into 
small  pieces,  but  it  has  not  much  taste.  Some- 
times the  wife  brings  her  husband  a  segar. 
This  people,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  are  great 
smokers  and  chewers,  practices  of  which  I 
hope  that  you,  my  dear  children,  will  never 
be  guilty.  In  Ceylon,  it  is  customary  for  fe- 
males to  smoke.  Frequently,  after  the  hus- 
band has  smoked  for  a  while,  he  hands  the 
segar  to  his  w^ife.  She  then  puts  it  into  her 
mouth,  and  smokes. 

Several  years  ago,  one  of  the  schoolmasters 
in  that  island  became  a  Christian.  After  he 
had  partaken  of  the  Lord's  supper,  his  wife  con- 
sidered him  so  defiled,  that  she  would  not  put 


DOMESTIC  CUSTOMS.  '20 

his  segar  into  her  mouth  for  a  month  afterwards. 
She,  however,  has  since  become  a  Christian. 

I  spoke  just  now  of  the  plantain-leaf.  This 
leaf  is  sometimes  six  feet  long,  and  in  some 
places  a  foot  and  a  half  wide.  It  is  an  un- 
broken leaf,  with  a  large  stem  running  through 
the  middle  of  it.  It  is  one  of  the  handsomest 
of  leaves.  Pieces  enough  can  be  torn  from  a 
single  leaf,  to  take  the  place  of  a  dozen  plates. 
When  quite  young,  it  is  an  excellent  applica- 
tion to  surfaces  which  have  been  blistered. 

"When  this  people  eat,  they  do  not  use  tables 
and  chairs.  They  sit  down  on  mats,  and 
double  their  legs  under  them,  after  the  man- 
ner of  our  friends  the  tailors  in  America,  when 
they  sew.  This  is  the  way  in  which  the  na- 
tives, as  a  general  thing,  sit  in  our  churches. 
It  is  not  common  to  have  benches  or  pews  for 
them.  Carpenters  and  other  tradesmen  also 
sit  down  either  on  a  board,  or  on  the  ground, 
or  on  their  legs,  when  they  work.  It  would 
divert  you  much  to  see  their  manoeuvring.  If 
a  carpenter,  for  instance,  wants  to  make  a 
little  peg,  he  will  take  a  small  piece  of  board, 
and  place  it  in  an  erect  position  between  his 
feet,  the  soles  of  which  are  turned  inward  so 


26 


TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN 


as  to  press  upon  the  board.  He  then  takes  his 
chisel  in  one  hand,  and  his  mallet  in  the  other, 
and  cuts  off  a  small  piece.  Afterwards  he 
holds  the  piece  in  one  hand,  and  while  he 
shapes  it  with  his  chisel  with  the  other,  he 
steadies  it  by  pressing  it  against  his  great  toe 


iSllk- 


M,i,i> 


The  blacksmiths,  with  the  exception  of  those 
who  use  the  sledge-hammer,  sit  as  do  the  car- 
penters, while  they  hammer  the  iron.  I  wish 
you  could  see  them  at  work  with  their  simple 
apparatus.  They  have  small  anvils,  which 
they  place  in  a  hole  made  in  a  log  of  wood 
which  is  buried  in  the  ground.  They  do  not 
use    sucli   bellows    as    vou    see    in   America. 


DOMHrfTIC   CUSTO:\IS.  07 

Theirs  consist  of  two  leather  bags,  about  a 
foot  wide  and  a  foot  and  a  half  long,  each 
liaving  a  nozzle  at  one  end.  The  other  end  is 
left  open  to  admit  the  air.  When  they  \vish 
to  blow  the  fire,  they  extend  these  bags  to  let 
in  the  air.  They  then  close  thcni  by  means 
of  the  thumb  on  one  side,  and  the  fingers  on 
the  other,  and  press  them  down  towards  the 
nozzle  of  the  bellows,  which  forces  the  air 
through  them  into  the  fire.  I  should  have 
said  before,  that  the  nozzle  of  the  bellows 
passes  through  a  small  semicircular  mound  of 
dried  mud. 

I  mentioned  that  the  natives  do  not  use  ta- 
bles and  chairs  in  their  houses.  .  Neither  do 
they,  as  a  general  thing,  use  bedsteads.  They 
have  no  beds.  They  sleep  on  mats,  which  are 
spread  down  on  the  floor.  Sometimes  they  use 
a  cotton  bolster  for  their  heads.  More  gener- 
ally, their  pillows  are  hard  boards,  which  they 
put  under  the  mat.  In  addition  to  cooking, 
the  females  have  to  prepare  the  rice  for  this 
purpose,  by  taking  it  out  of  the  husk.  This 
they  do  by  beating  it  in  a  mortar  about  two 
feet  high.  The  pestle  with  which  they  pound 
if,  is  about  five  feet  long,  made  of  wood,  wnth 


28       TALES  AROUT  THE  HEATHEN 

an  iron  rim  around  the  lower  part  of  it.  Three 
women  can  work  at  these  mortars  at  the  same 
time.  Of  course  they  have  to  be  very  skilful 
in  the  use  of  the  pestle,  so  as  not  to  interfere 
with  each  others'  operations.  Sometimes,  while 
thus  engaged,  the  children,  who  are  generally 
at  play  near  their  mothers,  put  their  hands  on 
the  edge  of  the  mortars.  In  such  cases,  when 
the  pestle  happens  to  strike  the  edge,  their  fin- 
gers are  taken  off  in  a  moment. 

The  Hindoos  have  many  modes  of  salutation. 
In  some  places  they  raise  their  right  hand  to 
the  heart.  In  others,  they  simply  stretch  it  out 
towards  the  person  who  is  passing,  if  they  know 
him,  for  they  never  salute  persons  with  whom 
they  are  not  acquainted. 

In  many  places  there  is  no  show  of  saluta 
tion.  When  they  meet  their  acquaintances 
they  content  themselves  by  saying  a  friendl}/ 
word  or  two  in  passing,  and  then  pursue  their 
way.  They  have  borrowed  the  word  salam 
from  the  Mohammedans.  They  salute  both 
Mohammedans  and  Europeans  with  this  word, 
at  the  sam^e  time  raising  their  hand  to  the  fore- 
head. When  they  address  persons  of  high  rank, 
they  give  them  their  salam  thrice,  touching 


DOMESTIC   CUSTOMS.  29 

the  ground  as  often  with  both  hands,  and  then 
lifting  them  up  to  their  foreheads. 

The  other  castes  salute  the  Brahmins  by 
joining  the  hands  and  elevating  them  to  the 
forehead,  or  sometimes  over  the  head.  It  is 
accompanied  with  andamayya^  which  means. 
Hail,  respected  lord.  The  Bralimins  stretch 
out  their  hands  and  say,  aaseervaathum — ben- 
ediction. 

Another  very  respectful  kind  of  salutation 
consists  in  lowerinsr  both  hands  to  the  feet  of 
the  person  to  be  honored,  or  even  in  falling 
down  and  embracing  them. 

Of  all  the  forms  of  salutation,  the  most  re- 
spectful is  the  shaashlaa?ig-kum,  or  prostration, 
in  which  the  feet,  the  knees,  the  stomach,  the 
head,  and  the  arms,  all  touch  the  ground.  In 
doing  this,  they  throw  themselves  at  their  whole 
length  on  the  ground,  and  stretch  out  both  arms 
above  their  heads.  This  is  practised  before 
priests,  and  in  the  presence  of  an  assembly, 
when  they  appear  before  it  to  beg  pardon  for 
a  crime. 

Relations,  who  have  long  been  separated, 
testify  their  joy  when  they  meet  by  chucking 
each  other  under  the  chin,  and  shedding  tears 


30  TALES   ABOUT   THE   IIEATIIEX. 

of  joy.  I  am  not  aware  that  grown  persons 
ever  kiss  each  other.  Sometimes  mothers,  or 
other  individuals,  will  put  their  noses  to  the 
cheeks  of  little  children,  and  draw  the  air 
through  them,  just  as  we  do  when  we  smell 
any  thing  which  is  agreeable.  At  other  times 
they  will  apply  the  thumb  and  first  finger  to 
the  cheek  of  the  child,  and  then  apply  them  to 
their  own  noses,  and,  as  it  were,  smell  them. 

The  women,  as  a  mark  of  respect,  turn  their 
backs,  or  at  least  their  faces  aside,  when  they 
are  in  the  presence  of  those  whom  they  highly 
esteem.  They  are  never  permitted  to  sit  in  the 
presence  of  men.  A  married  woman  cannot 
do  this,  even  in  the  presence  of  her  husband. 

If  a  person  meets  another  of  high  rank,  he 
must  leave  the  path,  if  on  foot,  or  alight,  if  on 
horseback,  and  remain  standing  until  he  has 
passed.  He  must  at  the  same  time  take  off 
his  slippers.  He  also  must  take  off  his  slippers 
when  he  enters  a  house.  Should  he  fail  to  do 
this,  it  would  be  considered  a  great  impro- 
priety. 

In  addressing  a  person  of  note,  they  must 
keep  at  a  certain  distance  from  him,  and  cover 
their  mouths  with  their  hands  while  they  are 


."SIARR    ACCS.  31 

speaking,  lest  their  breath,  or  a  })article  of 
moi.sture,  should  escape  to  trouble  hini. 

When  the  Hindoos  visit  a  person  of  distinc- 
tion for  the  fii-st  time,  civility  requires  them  to 
take  some  present  as  a  mark  of  respect,  or  to 
show  that  they  come  with  a  friendly  intention; 
especially  if  they  wish  to  ask  some  favor  in 
return.  When  they  have  not  the  means  of  mak- 
ing large  presents,  they  carry  with  them  sugar, 
plantains,  milk,  and  other  things  of  this  kind. 

In  case  of  mourning,  visits  must  always  be 
made,  though  at  a  distance  of  a  hundred  miles. 
Letters  of  condolence  would  by  no  means  be 
received  as  a  substitute. 


CM  APT  Eli  IV. 

MARRIAGE    A.MONU    THE    HINDOOS. 

Mv  DEAR  CniLDREN — Marriage,  to  the  Hin- 
doos, is  the  greatest  event  of  their  lives.  In 
the  celebration  of  it,  many  ceremonies  are  per- 
formed. Of  these  I  will  mention  some  of  the 
most  important.  If  the  fiither  of  the  young 
girl  is  a  iJrahmin,  and  if  he  is  rich  and  liberal, 
he  will  frequently  bear  all  the  expenses  of  the 


32       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

marriage  of  his  daughter.  To  give  a  daughter 
in  marriage  and  to  sell  her,  are  about  the  same 
thing.  Almost  every  parent  makes  his  daugh- 
ter an  article  of  traffic,  refusing  to  give  her  up 
until  the  sum  of  money  for  which  he  consented 
to  let  her  go,  is  paid.  Men  of  distinction  gen- 
erally lay  out  this  money  for  jewels,  which  they 
present  to  their  daughters  on  their  wedding- 
day.  You  will  infer  from  what  I  have  just 
said,  that  the  parties  to  be  married  have  noth- 
ing to  do  in  the  choice  of  each  other. 

There  are  properly  but  four  months  in  the 
year  in  which  marriages  can  take  place,  name- 
1}-,  March,  April,  May,  and  June.  This  prob- 
ably arises  from  the  circumstance  that  these 
are  the  hottest  seasons  of  the  year — the  seasons 
when  the  people  have  more  leisure  to  attend  to 
them.  From  the  harvest,  also,  which  has  just 
been  gathered  in,  they  are  provided  with  means 
to  perform  the  various  ceremonies. 

The  marriage  ceremony  lasts  five  days.  The 
bride  and  bridegroom  are  first  placed  under  a 
puntel,  a  kind  of  bower,  covered  with  leaves, 
in  front  of  the  house.  This  is  superbly  adorn- 
ed. The  married  women  then  come  forward, 
and  perform  the  ceremony  called  arati^  which 


MARRIAGES  33 

is  as  follows.  Upon  a  plate  of  copper,  they 
])lace  a  lamp  made  of  a  paste  from  rice  flour. 
It  is  supplied  with  oil,  and  lighted.  They  then 
take  hold  of  the  plate  with  both  hands,  and 
raise  it  as  high  as  the  heads  of  the  couple  to 
be  married,  and  describe  a  number  of  circles 
with  the  plate  and  lamp.  This  is  to  prevent 
the  evil  of  any  jealous  looks,  which  certain 
persons  might  make.  The  Hindoos  believe 
that  great  evils  arise  from  wicked  looks.  They 
consider  that  even  the  gods  themselves  are  not 
out  of  the  reach  of  malicious  eyes ;  and  there- 
fore, after  they  have  been  carried  through  the 
streets,  the  ceremony  of  arati  is  always  per- 
formed, to  efface  the  evil  which  they  may  have 
suflered  from  these  looks. 

It  ought  to  have  been  mentioned,  that  before 
any  thing  is  done,  they  place  an  image  of  Pul- 
lian  under  the  puntel.  This  god  is  much  hon- 
ored, because  he  is  much  feared.  And  although 
the  great  ugliness  of  his  appearance  has  hith- 
erto kept  him  without  a  wife,  they  never  fail 
to  pay  him  the  greatest  attention,  lest  he  should 
in  some  way  or  other  injure  them. 

After  arati  and  many  other  ceremonies  are 
performed,  the  kankanan,  which  is  merely  a  bit 

Scudder's  Talc*.  3 


34       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

of  saffron,  is  tied  to  the  right  wrist  of  the  young 
man,  and  to  the  left  wrist  of  the  girl.  This 
is  done  with  great  solemnity.  Another  re- 
markable ceremony  succeeds  this.  The  young 
man  being  seated  with  his  face  towards  the 
east,  his  future  father-in-law  supposes  that  he 
beholds  in  him  the  great  Yrishnoo.  With  this 
impression,  he  offers  him  a  sacrifice,  and  then, 
making  him  put  both  of  his  feet  in  a  new  dish 
filled  with  cow-dung,  he  first  washes  them  with 
water,  then  with  milk,  and  again  with  water, 
accompanying  the  whole  with  suitable  mun- 
trums,  or  prayers. 

After  many  other  ceremonies,  he  takes  the 
hand  of  his  daughter  and  puts  it  into  that  of 
his  son-in-law.  He  then  pours  water  over 
them  in  honor  of  Yrishnoo.  This  is  the  most 
solemn  of  all  the  ceremonies,  being  the  token 
of  his  resigning  his  daughter  to  the  authority 
of  the  young  man.  She  must  be  accompanied 
with  three  gifts,  namely,  one  or  more  cows, 
some  property  in  land,  and  a  salagrama^  which 
consists  of  some  little  amulet  stones  in  hisrh 
esteem  among  the  Brahmins.  This  ceremony 
being  finished,  the  tahly  is  brought  to  be  fast- 
ened to  the  neck  of  the  bride.     This,  as  I  before 


M  A  R  R  I  A  U  E  y  35 

said,  is  presented  on  a  salver,  decked  and  gar- 
nished with  sweet-smellins:  flowers.  Incense 
is  offered  to  it,  and  it  is  presented  to  the  as- 
sistants, each  of  whom  touches  it  and  invokes 
blessings  upon  it.  The  bride  then  turning  to- 
wards  the  East,  the  bridegroom  takes  the  tahly, 
repeats  a  muntrum  or  prayer  aloud,  and  ties  it 
around  her  neck. 

Fire  is  then  brought  in,  upon  which  the  bride- 
groom ofTed's  up  the  sacrifice  of  homam,  which 
consists  of  throwing  boiled  rice  with  melted 
butter  upon  the  fire.  He  then  takes  his  bride 
by  the  hand,  and  they  walk  three  times  around 
it,  wliile  the  incense  is  blazing. 

There  is  another  ceremony,  which,  perhaps, 
ought  to  be  mentioned,  as  it  is  considered  by 
some  to  be  one  of  much  importance.  Two 
baskets  of  bamboo  are  placed  close  together, 
one  for  the  bride,  the  other  for  the  bridegroom. 
They  step  into  them,  and  two  other  baskets 
being  brought,  filled  with  ground  rice,  the  hus- 
band takes  up  one  with  both  hands  and  pours  the 
contents  over  the  head  of  the  bride.  She  does 
tlie  same  to  him.  In  the  marriage  of  great  prin- 
ces, pearls  are  sometimes  used  instead  of  rice. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day,  when  the 


36        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

constellations  appear,  the  astrologer  points  out 
to  the  married  pair  a  very  small  star,  close  to 
the  middle  or  in  the  tail  of  Ursa  Major ^  which 
he  directs  them  to  worship,  and  which  he  says 
is  the  wife  of  Yasestha. 

While  the  assembled  guests  are  dining,  the 
bridegroom  and  the  bride  also  partake,  and  eat 
together  from  the  same  plate.  This  is  a  token 
of  the  closest  union.  This  is  the  only  instance 
in  which  they  ever  eat  together. 

After  all  the  ceremonies  are  finished,  a  pro- 
cession is  made  through  the  streets  of  the  vil- 
lage. It  commonly  takes  place  in  the  night, 
by  torchlight,  accompanied  with  fire-works. 
The  newly  married  pair  are  seated  in  one  palan- 
quin, with  their  faces  towards  each  other,  both 
richly  dressed.  The  bride,  in  particular,  is  gen- 
erally covered  with  jewels  and  precious  stones. 

The  procession  moves  slowly ;  and  their 
friends  and  relations  come  out  of  their  houses, 
as  they  pass ;  the  women  hailing  the  married 
couple  with  the  ceremony  of  arati^  and  the 
men  with  presents  of  silver,  fruits,  sugar,  and 
betel.  I  once  witnessed  one  of  these  marriage 
processions  in  the  streets  of  Madras  at  night, 
but  can  give  you  but  little  idea  of  its  magnifi- 


/ 


DEATH    AND    FUNERALS.  37 

cence.  The  lamps  used  on  the  occasion  could 
not  be  numbered.  The  shrubbery,  which  was 
drawn  on  carts  or  other  vehicles,  appeared  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful,  in  consequence  of  the  light 
reflected  from  the  lamps.  Intermingled  with 
this  shrubbery,  were  to  be  seen  little  girls  ele- 
gantly dressed,  and  adorned  with  flowers  on 
their  heads.  Many  elephants,  with  their  trap- 
pings of  gold  and  silver  and  red,  formed  a  part 
of  the  procession.  Fire-works  were  also  added 
to  make  the  scene  more  brilliant. 


CHAPTER  V. 

DEATH    AND    FUNERALS    OF    THE    HINDOOS. 

My  dear  Children — The  death  of  a  Hindoo 
is  followed  by  many  ridiculous  ceremonies.  I 
will  give  you  a  description  of  a  few,  connected 
with  the  death  of  one  who  has  moved  in  one 
of  the  higher  ranks — of  a  Brahmin. 

AVhen  it  is  evident  that  a  Brahmin  has  but 
a  little  time  to  live,  a  space  is  prepared  with 
oarth,  well  spread  with  cow-dung,  over  whicli 
a  cloth,  that  has  never  been  worn,  is  spread. 
The   dying  man    is   placed   upon   this  nt  full 


38       TALES  ABOUT  TPE  HEATHEN. 

length.  Another  cloth  is  wrapped  around  his 
loins.  This  being  done,  the  ceremony  of  expi- 
ating his  sins  is  performed  as  follows.  The 
chief  of  the  funeral  brings  on  one  plate  some 
small  pieces  of  silver  or  copper  coin,  and  on  an- 
other the  punchakaryam,  etc.  A  little  of  this 
punchakaryam  is  then  put  into  his  mouth,  and, 
by  virtue  of  this  nauseous  draught,  the  body  is 
perfectly  purified.  Besides  this,  there  is  a 
general  cleansing,  which  is  accomplished  by 
making  the  dying  man  recite  within  himself, 
if  he  cannot  speak,  the  proper  muntrums,  by 
which  he  is  delivered  from  all  his  sins.  After 
this,  a  cow  is  introduced  with  her  calf.  Her 
horns  are  decorated  with  rings  of  gold  or  brass, 
and  her  neck  with  garlands  of  flowers.  A  pure 
cloth  is  laid  over  her  body.  Thus  decked,  she 
is  led  up  to  the  sick  man,  who  takes  hold  of  her 
tail.  Prayers  are  now  offered  up  that  the  cow 
may  conduct  him,  by  a  blessed  path,  to  the 
next  world.  He  then  makes  a  gift  of  a  cow  to 
a  Brahmin.  This  gift  is  considered  indispen- 
sable to  enable  the  soul  to  go  over  the  river  of 
fire,  which  it  is  said  all  must  pass  after  death. 
Those  who  have  made  this  gift,  are  met  by  one 
of  these  favored  creatures  the  moment  they 


DKATli    AM)   FUxNERALS.  •,]l) 

arrive  at  the  bank  of  the  stream,  and  by  her 
help,  they  are  enabled  to  pass  without  injury 
from  the  flames. 

As  soon  as  the  breath  has  left  his  body,  all 
who  are  present  must  weep  for  a  reasonable 
time,  and  join  in  lamentations  together. 

After  various  ceremonies,  the  body  is  washed, 
and  a  barber  is  called  to  shave  his  head.  He 
is  then  clad  with  his  finest  clothes  and  adorned 
with  jewels.  He  is  rubbed  with  sandal- wood 
where  the  body  is  uncovered,  and  the  accustom- 
ed mark  is  put  upon  his  forehead.  Thus  dress- 
(xl,  he  is  placed  on  a  kind  of  state  bed,  where 
he  remains  until  he  is  carried  to  the  pile. 

After  every  preparation  is  made  to  bear  away 
the  corpse,  the  person  who  is  to  conduct  the 
funeral,  with  the  assistance  of  some  relative  or 
friend,  strips  it  of  its  clothing  and  jewels,  and 
covers  it  with  a  handkerchief  provided  for  the 
occasion.  The  corpse  is  then  placed  on  a  litter. 
Those  who  die  in  a  state  of  marriage,  have  their 
faces  left  uncovered.  The  litter,  adorned  with 
flowers  and  foliage,  and  sometimes  decked  with 
valuable  stuffs,  is  borne  by  four  Brahmins. 
The  procession  is  arranged  as  follows. 

The  cl)ief  of  tlie  fnneral  marches  foremost, 


40       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

carrying  fire  in  a  vessel.  The  body  follows, 
attended  by  the  relations  and  friends,  without 
their  turbans,  and  with  nothing  on  their  heads 
but  a  bit  of  cloth,  in  token  of  mourning.  The 
women  never  attend  the  funeral,  but  remain 
in  the  house,  where  they  set  up  a  hideous  cry 
when  the  corpse  is  taken  out.  "While  advanc- 
ing on  the  road,  the  custom  is  to  stop  three 
times  on  the  way,  and,  at  each  pause,  to  put 
into  the  mouth  of  the  dead  a  morsel  of  unboil- 
ed rice,  moistened.  The  object  of  stopping  is 
considered  to  be  very  important.  It  is  not 
without  reason ;  for  they  say  that  persons  sup- 
posed to  be  dead  have  been  alive,  or  even  when 
lifeless  have  been  restored ;  and  sometimes, 
also,  it  has  happened  that  the  gods  of  the  infer- 
nal regions  have  mistaken  their  aim,  and  seiz- 
ed one  person  instead  of  another.  In  any  view, 
it  is  right  to  afford  the  opportunity  for  correct- 
ing these  mistakes,  so  as  not  to  expose  to  the 
flames  a  person  who  is  still  alive.  Hence  the 
propriety  of  these  pauses,  each  of  which  con- 
tinues half  of  the  quarter  of  an  hour. 

Having  arrived  at  the  place  for  burning  the 
dead,  they  dig  a  trench  about  six  or  seven  feet 
in  length.     This  is  consecrated  by  the  mun- 


DEATH   AND   FUNERALS.  41 

trums.  It  is  slightly  sprinkled  with  water  to 
lay  the  dust,  and  a  few  pieces  of  money  in  gold 
are  scattered  upon  it.  Here  the  pile  is  erected 
of  dried  wood,  on  which  the  body  is  laid  out  at 
full  length.  Over  the  body  a  quantity  of  twigs 
are  laid,  which  are  sprinkled  with  punchaka- 
ryam.  The  chief  of  the  funeral  then  takes  on 
his  shoulders  a  pitcher  of  water,  and  goes 
around  the  pile  three  times,  letting  the  water 
run  through  a  hole  made  in  it.  After  this  he 
breaks  the  pitcher  in  pieces  near  the  head  of 
the  corpse. 

At  last  the  torch  is  brousrht  for  settins:  fire 
to  the  pile,  and  is  handed  to  the  chief  of  the 
funeral.  Before  he  receives  it,  however,  he  is 
obliged  to  make  some  grimaces  to  prove  his 
sorrow.  He  rolls  about  on  the  ground,  beats 
his  breast,  and  makes  the  air  resound  with  his 
cries.  The  assistants  also  cry,  or  appear  to 
cry.  Fire  being  applied  to  the  four  corners  of 
tlie  pile,  the  crowd  retire,  except  the  four  Brah- 
mins who  carried  the  body  ;  they  remain  until 
the  whole  is  consumed. 

The  funerals  of  the  Sudras  differ  in  some 
particulars  from  those  of  the  Brahmins.  Deaf- 
ening sounds  of  drums,  trumpets,  and  otlier 


42  TALES  ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

instruments  of  music,  not  in  use  among  the 
Brahmins,  accompany  their  funerals.  To  in- 
crease the  noise,  they  sometimes  shoot  off  an 
instrument  which  somewhat  resembles  a  small 
cannon.  I  do  not  now  think  of  any  other  par- 
ticular worthy  of  mention. 

By  the  ceremonies  which  are  performed  just 
before  death,  this  wretched  people  expect  to 
secure  the  pardon  of  all  the  sins  of  the  de- 
ceased. Alas,  what  a  delusion  !  0,  that  Chris- 
tians had  sent  the  Grospel  to  this  dark  land 
in  the  days  when  they  sent  it  to  our  heathen 
fathers.  Then  might  the  Hindoos  now  be 
seeking  the  expiation  of  their  sins,  through  the 
blood  of  the  ever-blessed  Redeemer.  Of  this 
Redeemer,  however,  they  know  nothing.  They 
enter  eternity,  not  that  their  souls  may  be  con- 
sumed as  their  bodies  have  been,  but  to  endure 
the  flames  of  divine  wrath  for  ever  and  ever. 
Alas,  alas,  that  it  should  be  so !  0,  that  the 
generation  of  Christians  now  living  would  lay 
these  things  to  heart,  and  do  what  they  can, 
through  grace,  to  rescue  those  who  are  yet 
within  the  reach  of  hope  from  so  tremendous  a 
doom.  What,  my  dear  children,  will  you  do 
for  this  purpose  ? 


GODS  OF   THE   HINDOOS.  43 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    GODS    OF    THE    HINDOOS. 

My  dear  Children — The  word  heathen  i.s 
applied  to  those  who  worship  idols,  or  who  do 
not  know  any  thing  about  the  true  God.  This 
i.s  the  case  with  this  people.  They  say  that 
there  is  one  supreme  being,  whom  they  call 
Braiim  ;  but  he  is  very  different  from  Jehovah, 
and  is  never  worshipped.  Generally,  he  is  fast 
asleep.  In  the  place  of  Brahm,  they  worship 
]ijany  gods — gods  of  all  colors  :  some  black, 
some  white,  some  blue,  some  red — gods  of  all 
shapes  and  sizes :  some  in  the  shape  of  beasts, 
some  in  the  shape  of  men ;  some  partly  in  the 
shape  of  beasts,  and  partly  in  the  shape  of  men, 
having  four,  or  ten,  or  a  hundred,  or  a  thousand 
eyes,  heads,  and  hands.  They  ride  through 
the  air  on  elephants,  buffaloes,  lions,  sheep, 
deer,  goats,  peacocks,  vultures,  geese,  serpents, 
and  rats.  They  hold  in  their  hands  all  kinds 
of  weapons,  offensive  and  defensive,  thunder- 
bolts, javelins,  spears,  clubs,  bows,  arrows, 
shields,  flags,  and  shells.      They  am  of  all  om- 


44       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

ployments.  There  are  gods  of  the  heavens 
above  and  of  the  earth  below,  gods  of  wisdom 
and  of  folly,  gods  of  war  and  of  peace,  gods  of 
good  and  of  evil,  gods  of  pleasure,  gods  of 
cruelty  and  wrath,  whose  thirst  must  be  satia- 
ted with  torrents  of  blood.  These  gods  fight 
and  quarrel  with  one  another.  They  lie,  steal, 
commit  adultery,  murder,  and  other  crimes. 
They  pour  out  their  curses  when  they  cannot 
succeed  in  their  wicked  plots,  and  invent  all 
kinds  of  lying  tales  to  hide  their  wickedness. 

There  are  three  principal  gods,  who  compose 
what  is  called  the  Hindoo  triad.  Their  names 
are  Brumha,  Yrishnoo,  and  Siva.  They  were 
somehow  drawn  from  Brahm's  essence,  on  one 
occasion  when  he  was  awake.  Brumha,  they 
say,  is  the  creator  of  the  world,  Yrishnoo  the 
preserver,  and  Siva  the  destroyer.  Brumha 
has  no  temple  erected  for  his  worship,  on  ac- 
count of  a  great  falsehood  which  he  told.  I 
will  tell  you  what  it  was.  Once,  as  it  is  said, 
there  was  a  dispute  between  him  and  Yrishnoo, 
as  to  who  is  the  greatest.  While  thus  disput- 
ing, Siva  appeared  between  the  two  as  a  fire- 
post,  and  told  them  that  he  who  would  find  the 
bottom  or  the  top  of  the  post  first,  wovild  show 


GODS   OF  TIIC   HINDOOS.  45 

that  he  is  the  greatest.  Vrishnoo  immediately 
changed  himself  into  a  hog,  and  began  to  root 
up  the  earth  with  the  hope  of  finding  the  bottom 
of  the  post.  Brumlia  changed  himself  into  a 
swan,  flew  up  towards  the  top  of  the  post,  and 
cried  out,  I  have  found  it,  when  he  had  not. 
This,  you  know,  my  dear  children,  was  a  false- 
hood. For  this  falsehood,  it  is  said,  no  temple 
is  erected  for  his  worship. 

Yrishnoo  was  a  thief  and  a  liar.  He  was 
once  dwelling  in  the  house  of  a  dairyman,  and 
he  used  constantly  to  be  stealing  butter  and 
curdled  milk  from  the  dairyman's  wife.  She 
did  not  know,  for  a  long  time,  what  became  of 
her  butter  and  curdled  milk ;  but  at  last  she 
found  out  that  Vrishnoo  was  the  thief.  To 
punish  him  for  his  theft,  she  tied  him  to  a  rice 
mortar. 

Siva's  conduct  was  very  bad.  I  will  tell  you 
but  one  thing  about  him.  On  one  occasion  he 
was  playing  at  cards  with  his  wife  Parvathe. 
Vrishnoo  was  appointed  to  determine  who  was 
the  best  player.  After  playing  for  a  little  sea- 
son, Parvathe  won  the  game.  Siva  then  beck- 
oned to  Vrishnoo  to  declare  that  he,  instead  of 
Parvathe,  had  won  it.     This  ho  did.     Tn  con- 


46       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

sequence  of  this  falsehood,  he  was  cursed  by 
Parvathe,  and  changed  into  a  snake. 

And  now,  my  dear  children,  why  do  I  tell 
you  about  these  gods  ?  I  tell  you  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  you  thankful  that  you  were 
born  in  a  Christian  land,  where  you  have  the 
Bible  to  teach  you  better  things.  Had  you  not 
the  Bible,  you  would  worship  just  such  wretch- 
ed beings  as  these  poor  Hindoos  worship.  Per- 
haps you  know  that  our  Saxon  fathers,  before 
they  had  the  Bible,  were  as  great  idolaters  as 
are  this  people.  They  worshipped  Thor  and 
"Woden  and  other  similar  idols,  and  they  were 
even  in  the  habit  of  offering  up  human  sacri- 
fices. Surely,  if  there  is  any  thing  which 
should  make  you  give  your  hearts  to  your  Sav- 
iour, and  love  him  above  all  things,  it  is  God's 
gift  of  the  Bible  to  you. 


Tin:   UNIVERSE.  17 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  THREE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY  MILLIONS  OF  TUB 
GODS  OF  THE  HINDOOS THE  CREATION  OF  THE  UNI- 
VERSE  THE  TRANSMIGRATION  OF  SOULS THE  DIF- 
FERENT   HELLS. 

My  dear  Children — I  told  you  that  in  one 
of  those  seasons  when  Brahm  was  awake, 
Brumha,  Vrishnoo,  and  Siva  were  somehow 
drawn  from  Brahm's  essence.  The  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty  millions  of  the  gods  of  the 
Hindoos  were  also  drawn  from  this  essence ; 
as  were  all  the  atoms  which  compose  the  earth, 
the  sun,  moon,  and  stars.  At  first,  these  atoius 
were  all  in  disorder.  For  the  purpose  of  re- 
ducing them  to  order,  Brahm  created  what  is 
called  the  great  mundane  egg.  Into  this  egg 
he  himself  entered,  under  the  form  of  Brumha. 
taking  with  him  all  these  atoms.  After  remain- 
ing  in  this  egg  four  thousand  three  hundred 
millions  o?  years,  to  arrange  these  atoms,  he 
burst  its  shell  and  came  out,  with  a  thousand 
heads,  a  thousand  eyes,  and  a  thousand  arms. 
With  him,  he  brought  out  all  those  harmo- 
nized atoms,  which,  when  separated,  produced 


48 


TALES  ABOUT  THE   HEATHEN. 


this  beautiful  universe  that  we  see  ahove  and 
around  us. 

The  universe,  as  it  came  from  the  mundane 
egg,  is  generally  divided  into  fourteen  worlds: 
seven  inferior  or  lower  worlds,  and  seven  supe- 
rior or  upper  worlds.  The  seven  lower  worlds 
are  filled  with  all  kinds  of  wicked  and  loath- 
some creatures.  Our  earth,  which  is  the  first 
of  the  upper  worlds,  it  is  said,  is  flat.  The 
following  figure  will  give  you  some  idea  of  it. 


THE   UNIVERSE.  49 

Tliat  part  of  the  earth  which  is  inhabited 
consists  of  seven  circular  islands,  or  conti- 
nents, each  of  which  is  surrounded  by  a  dif- 
ferent ocean.  The  island  in  the  centre,  where 
we  dwell,  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  salt  water, 
the  second  island  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of 
sugar-cane  juice,  the  third  island  is  surround- 
ed by  a  sea  of  spirituous  liquors,  the  fourth 
is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  clarified  butter,  the 
fifth  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  sour  curds, 
the  sixth  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  milk, 
the  seventh  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  sweet 
water. 

In  all  the  worlds  above  ours  are  mansions 
where  the  gods  reside.  In  the  third  is  the 
heaven  of  Indra.  This  is  the  heaven  to  which 
it  is  said  the  widow  goes,  after  she  has  burned 
herself  to  death  on  the  funeral  pile  of  her  hus- 
band. Its  palaces  are  of  the  purest  gold.  And 
such  are  the  quantities  of  diamonds,  and  jasper, 
and  sapphire,  and  emerald,  and  all  manner  of 
precious  stones  there,  that  it  shines  with  a 
brightness  superior  to  that  of  twelve  thousand 
suns.  Its  streets  are  of  the  clearest  crystal, 
fringed  with  gold.  In  the  seventh,  or  the  high- 
est of  the  upper  worlds,  is  the  heaven  where 

«cudder'«  Tales.  4 


50       TALt:S  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

Brumha  chiefly  resides.  This  far  exceeds  all 
the  other  heavens  in  point  of  beauty. 

In  the  inferior  worlds  it  is  stated  that  there 
are  one  hundred  thousand  hells.  These  are 
provided  for  such  as  have  been  great  criminals. 
The  Hindoos  say,  that  those  who  have  not  been 
very  wicked,  can  make  an  atonement  for  their 
sins  in  this  world.  Should  they  neglect  to  do 
this,  they  must  suffer  for  it  in  another  birth. 
They  believe  in  what  is  called  the  transmigra- 
tion of  souls,  or  the  passing  of  the  soul,  after 
death,  into  another  body.  The  soul  must  suffer 
in  the  next  birth,  if  not  purified  in  this.  Hence 
it  is  asserted,  that  if  a  man  is  a  stealer  of  gold 
from  a  Brahmin,  he  is  doomed  to  have  whit- 
lows on  his  nails  ;  if  a  drinker  of  spirits,  black 
teeth  ;  if  a  false  detractor,  fetid  breath ;  if  a 
stealer  of  grain,  the  defect  of  some  limb  ;  if  a 
stealer  of  clothes,  leprosy ;  if  a  horse-stealer, 
lameness ;  if  a  stealer  of  a  lamp,  total  blindness. 
If  he  steals  grain  in  the  husk,  he  will  be  born 
a  rat ;  if  yellow  mixed  metal,  a  gander ;  if 
money,  a  great  stinging  gnat ;  if  fruit,  an  ape ; 
if  the  property  of  a  priest,  a  crocodile. 

Those  persons  whose  sins  are  too  great  to  be 
forgiven  in  this  world,  must  be  sent  to  one  of 


HELLS  OF  THE   IIINDOOg.  51 

the  hells  to  which  I  have  alluded.  Weeping, 
wailing,  shrieking,  they  are  dragged  to  the 
palace  of  Yama,  the  king  of  those  doleful  re- 
gions. On  arriving  there,  they  behold  him 
clothed  with  terror,  two  hundred  and  forty  miles 
in  height,  his  eyes  as  large  as  a  lake  of  water, 
his  voice  as  loud  as  thunder,  the  hairs  of  his 
body  as  long  as  palm-trees,  a  flame  of  fire  pro- 
ceeding from  his  mouth,  the  noise  of  his  breath 
like  the  roaring  of  a  tempest,  and  in  his  right 
liand  a  terrific  iron  club.  Sentence  is  passed, 
and  the  wretched  beings  are  doomed  to  receive 
punishment  according  to  the  nature  of  their 
crimes.  Some  are  made  to  tread  on  burnins: 
sands,  or  sharp-edged  stones.  Others  are  roll(3d 
among  thorns  and  spikes  and  putrefying  flesh. 
Others  are  dragged  along  the  roughest  places 
by  cords  passed  through  the  tender  parts  of  the 
body.  Some  are  attacked  by  jackals,  tigers, 
and  elephants.  Others  are  pierced  with  arrows, 
beaten  with  clubs,  pricked  with  needles,  seared 
with  hot  irons,  and  tormented  by  flies  and 
wasps.  Some  are  plunged  into  pans  of  liquid 
fire  or  boiling  oil.  Others  are  dashed  from 
lofty  trees,  many  hundred  miles  high. 

The  torment  of  these  hells  does  not  continue 


52  TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

for  ever.  After  criminals  have  been  punished 
for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  their  souls  return 
to  the  earth  again  in  the  bodies  of  men.  Here 
they  may  perform  such  good  acts  as  may 
raise  them  to  one  of  the  heavens  of  the  gods ; 
or  commit  crimes,  which  may  be  the  means 
of  their  being  sent  again  to  the  abodes  of 
misery. 

Things  will  go  on  in  this  way  until  the 
universe  comes  to  an  end,  when  every  thing 
is  to  disappear,  and  to  be  swallowed  up  in 
Brahm. 

The  Hindoos  say,  that  it  is  now  more  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  billions  of  years  since  the 
world  was  created.  After  it  has  continued 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  billions  of  years 
more,  it  is  to  come  to  an  end.  Then  Brum  ha 
is  to  die,  and  to  be  swallowed  up  with  the  uni- 
verse, in  the  sole  existing  Brahm. 

By  what  you  have  heard,  you  will  learn  that 
the  Hindoos  expect,  by  their  sufferings,  to  make 
an  atonement  for  their  sins.  But  there  is  no 
atonement  for  sin,  except  through  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ.  We  must  come  as  lost  sinners 
to  our  heavenly  Father,  confess  our  transgres- 
sions to  him,  and  plead  for  his  forgiveness,  only 


HINDOO   CASfES.  53 

through  the  sufTerings  and  death  which  Christ 
endured.  My  dear  children,  have  you  done 
this  ?  If  not,  do  it  speedily,  or  tlio  regions  of 
the  lost  must  soon  be  vour  everlastins:  abode 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


HINDOO    CASTES. 

My  dear  Children — The  people  of  India  are 
divided  into  castes,  as  they  are  called.  Their 
sacred  books  declare,  that  after  Brumha  had 
peopled  the  heavens  above  and  the  worlds  below, 
he  created  the  human  race,  consisting  of  four 
classes  or  castes.  From  his  mouth  proceeded 
the  Brahmin  caste.  Those  of  this  class  are  the 
highest  and  noblest  beings  on  earth,  and  hold 
the  office  of  priests.  At  the  same  time  there 
flowed  from  his  mouth  the  Vedas,  or  sacred 
books,  of  which  the  Brahmins  are  the  sole  teach- 
ers. To  their  fellow-men,  thev  were  to  cfive 
such  parts  of  these  books  as  they  thought  best. 
From  Brumha's  arm  proceeded  the  military 
caste.  The  business  of  this  class  is  to  defend 
their  country  when  attacked  by  enemies.  From 
his  breast  proceeded  the  third  caste,  consisting 


54  TALES   ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

of  farmers  and  merchants.  From  his  feet,  the 
member  of  inferiority,  proceeded  the  Sudras,  or 
servile  caste.  Carpenters,  braziers,  weavers, 
dyers,  and  the  manual  cultivators  of  the  soil, 
tire  included  in  this  class. 

Caste  is  not  a  civil,  but  a  sacred  institution. 
You  must  get  some  one  older  than  yourself  to 
explain  what  this  means.  Caste  is  a  difference 
of  kind.  Hence,  a  man  of  one  caste  can  never- 
be  changed  into  a  man  of  another  caste,  any 
more  than  a  Kqa  can  be  changed  into  a  mole, 
or  a  mole  into  a  lion.  Each  caste  has  its  laws, 
the  breaking  of  which  is  attended  with  great 
disgrace,  and  even  degradation  below  all  the 
other  castes.  For  instance,  if  a  Brahmin  should, 
by  eating  any  forbidden  thing,  break  his  caste, 
he  would  sink  below  all  the  other  castes.  He 
would  become  an  outcast,  or  pariah.  For  be- 
neath the  fourth,  or  lowest  caste,  there  is  a 
class  of  people  belonging  to  no  caste — a  class 
of  outcasts,  held  in  the  utmost  abhorrence. 

By  the  system  of  castes,  the  Hindoos  have 
been  divided  into  so  many  selfish  sections,  each 
scowling  on  all  the  rest  with  feelings  of  hatred 
and  contempt.  The  spirit  which  upholds  it,  is 
similar  to  that  spirit  which  says,  "  Stand  by 


HINDOO   CASTES.  55 

thyself,  for  I  am  holier  than  thon,"  and,  of 
course,  is  nothing  but  pride.  This  is  one  of 
the  greatest  obstacles  to  the  spread  of  Clu-isti- 
anity  in  this  dark  land,  and  for  the  exhibition 
of  which  we  were  lately  obliged  to  cut  oft' many 
of  the  members  of  our  churches. 

The  Brahmins,  in  consequence  of  their  being 
of  the  highest  caste,  and  of  their  having  been 
taught  from  their  infancy  to  regard  all  other 
classes  of  men  with  the  utmost  contempt,  are 
very  proud.  They  make  great  eftbrts  to  keep 
themselves  pure,  in  their  sense  of  the  word,  both 
without  and  within.  They  are  exceedingly 
afraid  of  being  defiled  by  persons  of  other  castes. 
They  have  the  utmost  dread  even  of  being 
touched  by  a  pariah.  For  them  to  eat  with 
any  of  these  pariahs,  or  to  go  into  their  houses, 
or  to  drink  water  which  they  have  drawn,  or 
from  vessels  which  they  have  handled,  is  attend- 
ed with  the  loss  of  their  caste.  A  Brahmin  who 
should  enter  their  houses,  or  permit  them  to 
enter  his,  would  be  cut  oft"  from  his  caste, 
and  could  not  be  restored  without  many  trouble- 
some ceremonies  and  great  expense.  The  pa- 
riahs are  considered  to  be  so  low,  that  if  a  Brah- 
min were  to  touch  them,  even  with  the  end  of 


56       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN 

a  long  pole,  he  would  be  looked  upon  as  pollut- 
ed. In  some  districts  they  are  obliged  to  make 
a  long  circuit,  when  they  perceive  Brahmins  in 
the  way,  that  their  breath  may  not  infect  them, 
or  their  shadow  fall  upon  them  as  they  pass. 
In  some  places  their  very  approach  is  sufficient 
to  pollute  a  whole  neighborhood. 

The  Brahmins  carry  their  ideas  of  purity 
very  far.  Should  a  Sudra  happen  to  look  upon 
the  vessels  in  which  they  cook  their  food,  they 
would  be  considered  as  defiled.  They  can 
never  touch  any  kind  of  leather  or  skin,  except 
the  skin  of  the  tiger  and  antelope.  The  most 
disagreeable  of  all  American  fashions,  in  their 
eyes,  is  that  of  boots  and  gloves.  They  rarely 
eat  their  food  from  plates ;  and  when  they  do 
so,  it  is  only  at  home.  They  use  the  leaf  of 
the  plantain  or  other  trees  as  a  substitute.  To 
offer  them  any  thing  to  eat  on  a  metal  or  earth- 
en plate  which  others  have  used,  would  be 
considered  a  great  affront.  For  the  same  rea- 
son, they  will  neither  use  a  spoon  nor  a  fork 
when  they  eat;  and  they  are  astonished  that 
any  one,  after  having  applied  them  to  their 
mouths,  and  infected  them  with  saliva,  should 
repeat  the  act  a  second  time.     They  have  a 


HINDOO   CASTES.  57 

great  abhorrence  of  the  toothpick,  if  used  a 
.second  time.  "When  they  eat  any  thing  dry, 
they  throw  it  into  their  mouths,  so  that  the 
fingers  may  not  approach  the  lips. 

They  do  not  drink  as  we  do,  by  applying  the 
cup  to  the  lips.  This  would  be  considered  a 
gross  impropriety.  They  pour  the  water  into 
theii  mouths.  The  reason  why  they  do  these 
things  is,  because  they  consider  the  saliva  to 
be  the  most  filthy  secretion  that  comes  from  the 
body.  It  is  on  this  account  that  no  one  is  ever 
permitted  to  spit  within  doors. 

The  use  of  animal  food  they  consider  to  be  de- 
filing. Not  only  will  they  not  eat  animal  food, 
but  they  will  eat  nothing  that  has  the  princi- 
ple of  life  in  it.  On  this  account,  they  cannot 
eat  eggs  of  any  kind.  I  was  once  breaking  an 
egg  in  my  medicine-room  at  Panditeripo,  while 
a  Brahmin  was  present.  He  told  me  that,  under 
such  circumstances,  he  could  not  remain  with 
me  any  longer.  In  his  view,  I  was  committing 
a  great  sin.  To  kill  an  ox  or  a  cow,  is  consid- 
ered by  them  as  a  crime  which  can  never  be 
atoned  for,  and  to  eat  their  flesh  is  a  defilement 
which  can  never  be  washed  away.  To  kill  a 
(^ow  is,  by  Hinrlnn  law.  punishnblo  with  death. 


58       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

The  touch  of  most  animals,  particularly  that 
of  the  dog,  denies  a  Brahmin.  Should  a  dog 
touch  them,  they  would  be  obliged  instantly  to 
plunge  into  water,  and  wash  their  clothes,  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  such  a  stain.  Notwithstand- 
ing this,  the  dog  is  one  of  the  gods  worshipped 
by  the  Hindoos. 

The  Hindoos  consider  themselves  to  be  un- 
clean if  they  have  assisted  at  a  funeral.  When 
the  ceremony  is  over,  they  immediately  plunge 
into  water  for  the  sake  of  purification.  E  ven  the 
news  of  the  death  of  a  relative,  a  hundred  miles 
off,  has  the  same  effect.  The  person  who  hears 
such  news  is  considered  unclean  until  he  has 
bathed.  In  unison  with  this  feeling,  a  person 
is  no  sooner  dead,  than  he  is  hastened  away  to 
be  buried  or  burned ;  for,  until  this  is  done, 
those  in  the  house  can  neither  eat  nor  drink, 
nor  go  on  with  their  occupations. 

A  Brahmin  who  is  particular  in  his  delicacy, 
must  be  careful  what  he  treads  upon.  He  is 
obliged  to  wash  his  body  or  bathe,  if  he  happens 
to  tread  on  a  bone,  or  a  broken  pot,  a  bit  of  rag, 
or  a  leaf  from  which  one  has  been  eating.  He 
must  also  be  careful  where  he  sits  down.  Some 
devotees  always  carry  their  seats  with  them, 


HINDOO  CASTES.  59 

tliat  is,  a  tiger  or  antelope's  skin,  which  are 
always  held  pure.  Some  are  contented  with 
a  mat.  They  may  sit  down  on  the  ground 
without  defilement,  provided  it  has  been  newly 
rubbed  over  witli  cow-dung.  This  last  specitic 
is  used  daily  to  purify  their  houses  from  the 
defilement  occasioned  by  comers  and  goers. 
When  thus  applied,  diluted  with  water,  it  has 
unquestionably  one  good  effect.  It  completely 
destroys  the  fleas  and  other  insects,  with  which 
they  are  very  much  annoyed. 

There  is  one  thing  more  which  I  wish  to 
mention.  It  is,  that  all  tlie  high  castes  consid- 
er the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  to  be  defiling. 
I  hope  that  you,  my  dear  children,  will  always 
have  the  same  opinion,  and  never  touch  them 
any  sooner  than  you  would  touch  arsenic  or 
other  poisons. 

A  person  may  be  restored  to  his  caste,  pro- 
vided he  has  not  committed  an  unpardonable 
offence.  This  is  done  as  follows.  After  he  has 
trained  the  consent  of  his  relations  to  be  restor- 
ed,  he  prostrates  himself  very  humbly  before 
them,  they  being  assembled  for  that  purpose, 
and  submits  to  the  blows  or  other  punishment 
which  they  may  think  proper  to  inflict,  or  pays 


60        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN 

the  fine  which  they  may  have  laid  upon  him. 
Then,  after  shedding  tears  of  sorrow,  and  mak- 
ing promises  that,  by  his  future  conduct,  he 
will  wipe  away  the  stain  of  his  expulsion  from 
caste,  he  makes  the  shaastaangkum  before  the 
assembly.  This  being  done,  he  is  declared  fit 
to  be  restored  to  his  tribe. 

When  a  man  has  been  expelled  from  his  caste 
for  some  great  offence,  those  who  restore  him 
sometimes  slightly  burn  his  tongue  with  a  piece 
of  gold  made  hot.  They  likewise  apply  to  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  body  red  hot  iron  stamps, 
which  leave  marks  that  remain  for  ever.  Some- 
times they  compel  the  offender  to  walk  on  burn- 
ing embers ;  and  to  complete  the  purification, 
he  must  drink  the  punchakaryam,  which  lit- 
erally means  the  five  things  ;  these  all  come 
from  the  cow,  and  must  be  mixed  together. 
The  first  three  of  these  I  will  mention,  namely, 
the  milk,  butter,  and  curds.  The  other  two, 
for  the  sake  of  delicacy,  I  must  not  mention. 
After  the  ceremony  of  punchakaryam  is  finish- 
ed, the  person  wdio  has  been  expelled  from  his 
caste  must  give  a  grand  feast.  This  finishes 
all  he  has  to  do,  and  he  is  then  restored  to 
favor. 


HINDOO   CASTES.  61 

There  are  certain  ofTenccs  which,  when  com- 
mitted, cut  off  all  hope  that  the  offender  will 
ever  be  restored  to  his  caste.  For  instance, 
should  he  eat  the  flesh  of  the  cow,  no  presents 
which  he  might  make,  nor  any  fines  which  he 
might  be  disposed  to  pay,  no,  not  even  the 
punchakaryam  itself,  would  be  of  any  avail  for 
his  restoration  or  purification. 

I  will  make  a  remark  here,  which  I  might 
have  made  before.  It  is,  that  in  Christian  coun- 
tries, there  is  a  spirit  of  pride  whicli  much  re- 
sembles the  spirit  of  caste.  Many  are  to  bo 
found  who  are  very  proud  that  they  have  de- 
scended from  rich  and  honorable  ancestors^  and 
who  look  down,  almost  with  disdain,  upon  those 
in  other  situations.  I  need  hardly  tell  you  that 
this  is  a  very  wicked  spirit,  and  entirely  opposed 
to  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel.  No  matter  what 
may  be  our  high  thoughts  of  ourselves,  we  ap- 
pear but  very  low  in  the  sight  of  Him  who  cre- 
ated us.  We  are  all  sinners,  and,  as  such,  are 
offensive  in  his  sisfht.  If  we  would  ofo  to  heav- 
en,  the  first  thing  which  we  have  to  do,  is  to 
humble  ourselves  for  the  pride  of  our  hearts, 
and  become  as  little  children  before  him.  We 
must   have   tliat   spirit   of  which   the   apostle 


62       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

speaks,  when  he  says,  "  Let  each  esteem  others 
better  than  themselves."  With  a  humble  spirit 
we  may  approach  a  holy  God,  with  the  assur- 
ance that  he  will,  for  Christ's  sake,  forgive  all 
our  sins. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HINDOO  TEMPLES CARS PROCESSION  OF  IDOLS. 

My  dear  Children — I  will  proceed  to  give 
you  a  description  of  the  Hindoo  temples.  These 
are  very  numerous.  One  is  to  be  found  in 
almost  every  village.  They  are  to  be  found, 
also,  in  out-of-the-way  places,  distant  from 
villages,  in  woods,  on  the  banks  and  in  the 
middle  of  rivers ;  but,  above  all,  on  mountains 
and  steep  rocks. 

This  latter  practice,  of  building  temples  on 
mountains,  is  very  ancient.  The  Israelites 
were  accustomed  to  choose  a  mountain  when 
they  offered  up  their  sacrifices  to  the  Lord. 
Solomon,  before  the  building  of  the  temple, 
chose  Mount  Gibeon  on  which  to  offer  his  burnt- 
offerings  ;  and  when  the  ten  tribes  separated 
themselves,  in  the  reign  of  Jeroboam,  they  built 


HINDOO  TEMPLES.  G3 

their  altars  on  the  mountain  of  Samaria.  This 
practice  may  have  come  from  the  circumstance, 
that  Noah  offered  to  God  a  great  sacrifice  of 
thanks  on  one  of  the  highest  mountains  of  Ar- 
menia. Probably  j\Iount  Ararat  continued  long 
to  be  remembered,  by  him  and  his  descendants, 
as  the  scene  of  their  deliverance. 

Besides  the  temples  of  the  idols,  there  are 
various  objects  of  worship,  made  of  earth  and 
stone.  Some  of  the  idols  are  carved.  Some 
consist  merely  of  the  rough  stone.  These  are 
to  be  seen  on  the  high-roads,  at  the  entrance 
into  villages,  and,  above  all,  under  lofty  trees. 
Some  of  these  are  covered  ;  but  generally  they 
are  exposed  in  the  open  air. 

You  will  read  in  Genesis,  28th  chap,  and 
18th  verse,  that  Jacob,  after  his  dream,  rose  up 
early  in  the  morning  and  took  the  stone  that  he 
had  put  for  his  pillow,  and  set  it  up  for  a  pillar, 
and  poured  oil  upon  the  top  of  it.  "Wliether  it 
has  happened  from  this  circumstance  or  not, 
that  the  heathen  universally  pour  oil  over  their 
idols,  I  cannot  tell.  All  I  know  is,  that  they 
do  it.  No  idol  can  become  an  object  of  wor- 
ship until  a  Brahmin  has  said  his  muntruras,  or 
prayers,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  down  the 


64        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

god  to  live,  as  it  is  said  he  does,  in  the  image, 
and  until  he  has  drenched  it  with  oil  and  liquid 
butter. 

The  idols,  in  the  great  temples,  are  clothed 
with  rich  garments,  and  adorned  with  jewels, 
which  are  enriched  with  precious  stones  of  im- 
mense value.  Sacrifices  are  constantly  made 
to  these  idols,  consisting  of  boiled  rice,  flowers, 
fruits,  etc.,  but,  above  all,  of  lamps,  of  wdiich 
many  thousands  are  sometimes  seen  burning. 
They  feed  them  with  butter,  in  preference  to  oil. 

The  priests  of  the  temples  offer  up  sacrifices 
twice  every  day,  morning  and  evening.  They 
begin  the  ceremony  by  washing  their  idol. 
The  water  which  is  used  is  brouo-ht  from  a 
river  or  tank.  Every  morning  a  procession, 
with  music,  passes  before  our  door,  with  this 
water. 

Every  priest  who  offers  up  sacrifices,  must 
have  several  lighted  lamps  with  a  bell,  which 
he  holds  in  his  left  hand.  With  his  right  hand 
he  makes  an  offering  to  the  idol,  adorns  it  with 
flowers,  and  rubs  its  forehead  and  various  parts 
of  its  body  with  sandal- wood  and  holy  aslies. 
While  all  this  is  going  on,  he  is  alone  in  the 
temple,  the  door  of  which  is  closed.     The  un- 


HFNDOO   TEMPLKS.  05 

holy  multitude  remain  without,  silently  wait- 
ing till  he  has  done.  What  he  does,  they  can- 
not know,  only  hearing  tlie  sound  of  the  bell. 
When  he  has  done,  he  comes  out  and  distributes 
among  tlie  people  a  part  of  the  things  which 
have  been  oflered  to  the  idol.  These  are  con- 
sidered as  holy.  If  they  consist  of  rice  and 
fruit,  they  are  immediately  eaten  :  if  of  flowers, 
the  men  put  them  in  their  turbans,  and  the  girls 
entwine  them  in  their  hair. 

Next  to  the  priests,  the  most  important  per- 
sons about  the  temples  are  the  dancing  girls. 
These  are  persons  of  the  vilest  character.  They 
perform  their  religious  duties  in  the  temple 
twice  a  day.  They  also  assist  at  the  public 
ceremonies,  and  dance.  At  the  same  time 
they  sing  the  most  abominable  and  filthy  songs. 
Of  these  wicked  creatures,  however,  I  must  not 
tell  you  any  thing  further. 

The  next  order  of  persons  employed  in  the 
temples,  are  players  on  musical  instruments. 
Every  temple  of  note  has  a  band  of  these  mu- 
sicians, who,  as  well  as  the  dancers,  are  obliged 
to  attend  the  temple  twice  a  day.  They  are 
also  obliged  to  assist  at  all  the  public  festivals. 
Their  band  general! v  consists  of  wind  instru- 

Scudder'i  Talet.  5 


66        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

ments,  resembling  clarionets  and  hautboys,  to 
which  they  add  cymbals  and  drums.  They  have 
a  bass,  produced  by  blowing  into  a  kind  of  tube, 
widened  below,  and  which  gives  an  uninter- 
rupted sound.  Part  of  the  musicians  sing 
liymns  in  honor  of  their  gods. 

The  expenses  of  the  temples  are  borne  by  the 
voluntary  offerings  of  the  people,  consisting  of 
money,  jewels,  cattle,  provisions,  and  other 
articles.  In  order  to  induce  them  to  make 
such  offerings,  the  Brahmins  use  all  kinds  of 
deception.  Sometimes  they  will  put  their  idols 
in  irons,  chaining  their  hands  and  feet.  They 
exhibit  them  in  this  sad  condition,  declaring 
that  they  have  been  brought  into  it  by  cred- 
itors, from  whom  their  gods  had  to  borrow 
money,  in  times  of  trouble,  to  supply  their 
w^ants.  They  declare  that  their  creditors  re- 
fuse to  set  the  gods  at  liberty,  until  the  money 
with  the  interest  is  paid.  The  people,  seeing 
the  deplorable  condition  into  which  they  have 
been  brought,  come  forward  and  pay  off  the 
debt ;  when  the  chains  are  taken  off,  and  the 
god  is  set  at  liberty. 

Another  way  in  which  the  Brahmins  some- 
times deceive  the  people,  is  as  follows.     They 


HINDOO  TEMPLES.  67 

say  that  the  god  is  afllicted.  with  some  dreadful 
disease,  brought  on  by  the  distress  which  lie 
has  had,  because  the  people  do  not  worship  him 
as  much  as  they  should.  In  such  cases,  the 
idol  is  sometimes  placed  at  the  door  of  the  tem- 
ple, where  they  rub  his  forehead  and  temples 
with  various  kinds  of  medicine.  They  also  set 
before  him  all  sorts  of  medicines,  pretending  in 
this  way  to  do  all  they  can  to  cure  him.  But 
as  all  their  efforts  prove  to  be  vain,  and  the 
disease  becomes  worse,  the  Brahmins  send  out 
persons  to  tell  the  sad  news.  The  people,  be- 
lieving the  report,  hasten  to  bring  in  their  gifts 
and  offerings.  The  god,  on  beholding  such 
proofs  of  their  attachment  to  him,  feels  himself 
cured  of  his  disease,  and  immediately  returns 
to  his  throne  within  the  temple. 

The  Brahmins  use  another  kind  of  deception, 
in  order  to  procure  offerings  for  the  temples. 
They  declare  that  their  gods  are  angry  with 
certain  individuals  who  have  offended  them, 
and  that  they  have  sent  some  evil  spirit  or 
devil  to  take  possession  of  their  bodies  and  tor- 
ment th em.  Accordingly,  persons  appear  wan- 
dering about  in  different  parts  of  the  country, 
sliowing,  by  their  dreadful  convulsions,  their 


08  TALES   ABOUT  THE   HEATHEN. 

writhings  and  twistings,  every  symptom  of 
being  possessed  with  the  devil.  The  people 
who  see  them  are  filled  with  dismay,  fall  down 
before  them,  and  offer  gifts  and  sacrifices,  for 
fear  of  being  injured  by  them.  AYhatever  they 
ask  is  granted.  The  people  give  them  to  eat 
and  drink  abundantly ;  and  when  they  leave  a 
place,  accompany  them  with  instruments  of 
music,  till  they  arrive  at  some  other  place, 
where  the  same  deception  is  practised. 

There  are  various  other  ways  in  which  the 
Brahmins  deceive  the  people ;  but  I  have  told 
you  enough. 

At  every  large  temple,  there  is  at  least  yearly 
one  grand  procession.  The  idol  is  brought  out 
from  its  inclosure,  and  placed  in  a  great  car  or 
chariot,  prepared  for  this  express  purpose.  This 
stands  upon  four  wheels  of  great  strength,  not 
made  like  ours,  of  spokes  with  a  rim,  but  of 
three  or  four  pieces  of  thick,  solid  timber,  round- 
ed and  fitted  to  each  other.  The  car  is  some- 
times forty  or  fifty  feet  high,  having  upon  it 
carved  images  of  a  most  abominable  nature.  I 
must  not  tell  you  any  thing  about  them.  The 
car,  when  finished,  presents  somewhat  the  shape 
of  a  pyramid. 


PROCESSIONS 


69 


•■■*'f,-^   ' 


On  the  day  of  the  procession,  it  is  adorned 
with  painted  cloth,  garlands  of  flowers,  green 
shrubbery,  and  precious  stuffs.  The  idol  is 
placed  in  the  centre,  loaded  with  jewels,  etc., 
to  attract  the  attention  of  the  people.  Having 
fastened  ropes  to  this  enormous  car,  eight  or 
nine  hundred  or  a  thousand  people  catch  hold 
of  the  ropes  and  slowly  drag  it  along,  accom- 
panied with  the  awful  roaring  of  their  voices. 
At  certain  periods  they  stop;  when  the  im- 
mense crowds,  collected  from  all  parts  of  tlie 


70 


TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 


country,  set  up  one  universal  shout,  or  rather 
yell.  This,  with  the  sound  of  their  instru- 
ments and  numerous  drums,  produces  much 
uproar  and  confusion.  Sometimes  the  weighty 
car  comes  to  a  stand,  from  the  dampness  of  the 
ground  or  from  the  narrowness  of  the  streets, 
when  the  tumult  and  noise  are  redoubled. 

Perhaps  you  know  that  on  some  occasions, 
when  the  cars  are  drawn,  people  throw  them- 
selves under  the 
wheels,  and  are 
crushed  to  death. 
This  occurs  at  the 
drawing  of  the  car 
of  Juggernaut,  as 
you  may  learn  if 
you  will  read  my  ^J 
Sermon  to  Chil- 
dren, on  the  Con- 
dition of  the  Hea- 
then. Here  is  a 
picture  of  Jugger- 
naut, and  on  the  last  page  you  may  see  a  pic- 
ture of  his  car,  and  two  men  crushed  to  death 
under  the  wheels.  IN'ot  long  since,  five  persons 
were  thus  crushed  to  death.     Many  dreadful 


!•  R  ( )  C  E  S  S  I « )  N  S 


71 


accidents  also  take  place  at  the  drawing  of 
these  cars.  A  few  years  ago  several  persons  in 
this  city  had  their  limbs  amputated,  in  conse- 
([iience  of  injuries  received. 

When  I  was  in  America,  I  showed  to  many 
of  the  dear    chil- 
dren an  idol  called 
Pulliar,  which  was 
formerly  worship- 
ped   by    Raamu, 
one  of  our  native 
li(3lpers,   when   he 
was  a  heathen.     I 
gave  a  particular 
description  of  the 
manner  in  which 
he  daily  worship- 
;  ped  it,  in  the  ser- 
mon  above    men- 
tioned.    Here  is   a   picture,  which  will   give 
you  some  idea  of  this  god. 

You  will  see  that  it  is  partly  in  the  shape  of 
a  man,  and  partly  in  the  shape  of  a  beast.  You, 
my  dear  children,  would  put  no  confidence  in 
such  vain  idols  ;  but  this  people  do,  as  you  may 
know  from  what  I  am  now  going  to  tell  you. 


72       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

Some  months  ago,  a  woman  was  brought  to 
me  with  a  cancer  in  her  breast.  It  had  made 
sad  ravages.  On  the  morning  after  her  arrival 
I  took  it  out.  Before  she  was  brought  to  me, 
her  brother  went  to  the  temple  of  the  goddess 
Meenaache,  to  ascertain  what  was  her  will 
respecting  his  bringing  her  to  me,  or  taking 
her  to  a  native  doctor.  In  order  to  ascertain 
it,  he  had  recourse  to  the  following  expedient. 
He  prepared  several  bundles  of  red  and  white 
flowers — the  red  to  represent  the  red  or  Tamil 
man,  the  white  to  represent  the  white  man. 
These  flowers  were  carefully  inclosed  in  leaves, 
so  as  to  prevent  their  color  being  seen,  and 
then  laid  down  on  the  ground,  at  the  entrance 
of  the  temple.  After  this,  he  called  a  little 
child  to  him,  and  then  proceeded  to  entreat 
Meenaache  that,  if  it  were  her  will  that  he 
should  bring  the  sick  woman  to  me,  she  would 
direct  the  child  to  take  up  one  of  the  parcels 
containing  the  white  flowers.  It  so  happened 
that  the  child  took  up  one  of  these  parcels.  Of 
course,  he  brought  her  to  me.  Had  it  taken 
up  a  parcel  containing  the  red  flowers,  she 
would  have  been  taken  to  a  native  doctor. 
May  we  not  hope  that,  not  Meenaache,  but 


FESTIVALS  OF  THE   HINDOOS.  73 

Jehovah  directed  him  to  bring  her  to  me,  that 
she  might  hear  of  a  very  difterent  being  from 
her  goddess,  even  of  Jesus.  Of  him  she  has 
fiillv  heard. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FESTIVALS    OF    THE    HINDOOS. 

]\[y  dear  Children — The  Hindoos  have  many 
festivals.  These  are  all  occasions  of  joy  and 
gladness.  On  such  days,  the  people  quit  their 
usual  employments.  Friends  and  relations 
unite  in  family  parties,  and  give  entertain- 
ments according  to  their  means.  Innocent 
pastimes  and  amusements  of  various  kinds  are 
resorted  too  to  add  to  their  happiness. 

There  are  eighteen  principal  festivals  yearly, 
and  no  month  passes  without  one  or  more  of 
them. 

One  of  the  most  solemn  of  these  ceremonies 
is  held  in  the  month  of  September,  and  appears 
to  be  principally  in  honor  of  Parvathe,  the  wife 
of  Siva.  At  this  time  every  laborer  and  every 
artisan  offers  sacrifices  and  prayers  to  his  tools. 


74        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

The  laborer  brings  his  plough,  hoe,  and  other 
farming  utensils.  He  piles  them  together,  and 
offers  a  sacrifice  to  them,  consisting  of  flowers, 
fruit,  rice,  and  other  articles.  After  this,  he 
prostrates  himself  before  them  at  full  length, 
and  then  returns  them  to  their  places. 

The  mason  offers  the  same  adoration  and 
sacrifice  to  his  trowel,  rule,  and  other  instru- 
ments. The  carpenter  adores  his  hatchet,  adze, 
and  plane.  The  barber  collects  his  razors  to- 
gether, and  worships  them  with  similar  rites 

The  writing-master  sacrifices  to  the  iron  pen 
or  style,  with  which  he  writes  upon  the  palm- 
leaf,  the  tailor  to  his  needles,  the  weaver  to  his 
loom,  the  butcher  to  his  cleaver. 

The  women,  on  this  day,  collect  into  a  heap 
their  baskets,  rice-mill,  rice-pounder,  and  other 
household  utensils,  and,  after  having  offered 
sacrifices  to  them,  fall  down  in  adoration  before 
them.  Every  person,  in  short,  in  this  solem- 
nity, sanctifies  and  adores  the  instrument  or 
tool  by  which  he  gains  a  living.  The  tools  are 
considered  as  so  many  gods,  to  whom  they  pre- 
sent their  prayers  that  they  v/ill  continue  to 
furnish  them  still  with  the  means  of  getting  a 
livelihood. 


FESTIVALS   OF  THE  HINDOOS.  75 

This  feast  is  concluded  by  making  an  idol  to 
represent  Parvathe.  It  is  made  of  the  paste  ol 
grain,  and  being  placed  under  a  sort  of  canopy, 
is  carried  through  the  streets  with  great  pomp, 
and  receives  the  worship  of  the  people. 

Another  festival  of  great  celebrity  is  observ- 
ed in  October.  At  this  time,  each  person,  for 
himself,  makes  offerings  of  boiled  rice  and 
other  food,  to  such  of  their  relations  as  have 
died,  that  they  may  have  a  good  meal  on  that 
day.  They  afterwards  offer  sacrifices  of  burn- 
ing lamps,  of  fruit,  and  of  flowers,  and  also 
new  articles  of  dress,  that  their  ancestors  may 
be  freshly  clothed. 

At  this  festival,  soldiers  offer  sacrifices  to 
their  weapons,  in  order  to  obtain  success  in  war. 
On  such  occasions,  a  ram  is  offered  in  sacrifice 
to  their  armor. 

In  November,  a  festival  is  observed,  which  is 
called  the  feast  of  lamps.  At  this  season,  the 
Hindoos  light  lamps,  and  place  them  around 
the  doors  of  their  houses.  This  festival  was 
established  to  commemorate  the  deliverance  of 
the  earth  from  a  giant,  who  had  been  a  great 
scourge  to  the  people.  He  was  slain  by  Yrish- 
noo,  after  a  dreadful  battle.     In  many  places. 


76       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

on  this  day,  a  sacrifice  is  offered  to  the  dung- 
hill, which  is  afterwards  to  enrich  the  ground. 
In  the  villages,  each  one  has  his  own  heap,  to 
which  he  makes  his  offering  of  burning  lamps, 
fruit,  flowers,  etc. 

The  most  celebrated  of  all  the  festivals,  is 
that  which  is  held  in  the  end  of  December.  It 
is  called  the  feast  of  Pongul,.  and  is  a  season  of 
rejoicing  for  two  reasons :  the  first  is,  because 
the  month  of  December,  every  day  of  which  is 
unlucky,  is  about  to  end ;  and  the  other  is,  be- 
cause it  is  to  be  followed  by  a  month,  every 
day  of  which  is  fortunate.  For  the  purpose  of 
preventing  the  evil  effects  of  this  month,  the 
women  every  morning  scour  a  place  about  two 
feet  square  before  the  door  of  the  house,  upon 
which  they  draw  white  lines,  with  flour.  Upon 
these  they  place  several  little  balls  of  cow-dung, 
sticking  in  each  a  flower.  Each  day  these 
little  balls,  with  their  flowers,  are  preserved, 
and  on  the  last  day  of  the  month,  they  are 
thrown  into  tanks  or  waste-places. 

The  first  day  of  this  festival  is  called  the 
Pongul  of  rejoicing.  Near  relatives  are  invited 
to  a  feast,  which  passes  off  with  mirth  and 
gladness. 


FESTIVALS   OF  THE    HINDOOS.  77 

The  second  day  is  called  the  Ponsrul  of  the 
sun,  and  is  set  apart  to  worship  that  luminary. 
Married  women,  after  bathing  themselves,  pro- 
ceed to  boil  rice  with  milk,  in  the  open  air. 
AVhen  the  milk  begins  to  simmer,  they  make  a 
loud  cry,  "Pongul,  0  Pongul."  The  vessel  is 
then  taken  from  the  fire,  and  set  before  an  idol. 
Part  of  this  rice  is  offered  to  the  image,  and, 
after  standing  there  for  some  time,  it  is  given 
to  the  cows.  The  remainder  is  given  to  the 
jieople.  This  is  the  great  day  for  visiting 
among  friends.  The  salutation  begins  by  the 
question,  "Has  the  milk  boiled?"  To  which 
the  answer  is,  "  It  has  boiled."  From  this,  the 
festival  takes  the  name  of  pongul,  which  sig- 
nifies to  boil. 

The  third  day  is  called  the  Pongul  of  coios. 
In  a  great  vessel,  filled  with  water,  they  put 
safli'on  and  other  things.  These  being  well 
mixed,  they  go  around  the  cows  and  oxen  be- 
longing to  the  house  several  times,  sprinkling 
them  with  water.  After  this,  the  men  pros- 
trate themselves  before  them  four  times.  The 
cows  are  then  dressed,  their  horns  being  paint- 
ed with  various  colors.  Garlands  of  flowers 
are  also  put  round  their  necks,  and  over  their 


78        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

backs.  To  these  are  added  strings  of  cocoa 
nuts  and  other  kinds  of  fruit,  which,  however, 
are  soon  shaken  off,  when  they  are  in  motion, 
and  are  picked  up  by  children  and  others,  who 
greedily  eat  what  they  gather,  as  something 
sacred.  After  being  driven  through  the  streets, 
they  are  suffered,  during  the  day,  to  feed  wher- 
ever they-  please,  without  a  keeper.  I  have, 
however,  told  you  enough.  Are  you  ready  to 
exclaim.  Is  it  possible  that  a  people  can  be 
guilty  of  such  utter  folly  ?  But  you,  my  dear 
children,  would  be  guilty  of  just  such  folly,  if 
you  had  not  the  Bible.  Should  not  the  grati- 
tude, then,  which  you  owe  to  your  heavenly 
Father,  for  your  distinguished  mercies,  con- 
strain you  to  do  all  that  you  can  to  send  this 
blessed  book  to  this  dark  land? 


vvoRsmr  of  the  serpent  79 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    WORSHIP    OF    THE    SERPENT. 

]\[y  dear  Childrkx — If  you  have  never  heard 
much  about  tlie  Hiiidoo.s,  you  will  be  astonish- 
ed to  learn  how  numerous  are  the  objects  of 
their  worship.  They  worship  many  living 
creatures,  such  as  the  ape,  the  tiger,  the  ele- 
phant, the  horse,  the  ox,  the  stag,  the  sheep, 
the  hog,  the  dog,  the  cat,  the  rat,  the  peacock, 
the  eagle,  the  cock,  the  hawk,  the  serpent,  the 
chameleon,  the  lizard,  the  tortoise,  fishes,  and 
even  insects.  Of  these,  some  receive  much 
more  worship  than  others,  such  as  the  cow,  the 
ox,  and  the  serpent  Cobra  Capella.  I  will 
speak  at  present  only  of  the  worship  of  the 
serpent. 

Of  all  the  dangerous  creatures  found  in  India, 
there  are  none  that  occasion  so  many  deaths  as 
serpents.  The  people  are  very  much  exposed 
to  their  bite,  especially  at  night,  when  they  are 
walking.  They  tread  upon  them,  and,  as  they 
generally  do  not  wear  shoes,  the  snakes  turn 
their  heads,  and  strike  their  fangs  into  those 
parts  of  the  feet  which  are  nearest  to  the  place 


80       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

where  the  pressure  is  made  upon  their  bodies. 
Sometimes  the  bite  is  followed  with  instant 
death.  The  Cobra  Capella  is  one  of  the  most 
common  snakes,  and  one  of  the  most  poisonous. 
It  is  said,  that  it  has  a  thousand  heads,  one  of 
which  holds  up  the  earth.  It  has  a  peculiar 
mark  on  its  back,  just  behind  the  head.  This 
mark  very  much  resembles  a  pair  of  spectacles, 
without  the  handles.  If  you  should  go  near 
it,  it  would  raise  the  fore  part  of  its  body  about 
six  inches,  widen  out  its  neck,  so  as  to  be  about 
double  its  common  width,  and  prepare  to  strike 
you.  The  reason  why  the  Hindoos  offer  sacri- 
fices and  adoration  to  it  above  all  the  other 
serpents  is,  because  it  is  so  frequently  met  with, 
and  is  so  much  dreaded. 

In  order  to  induce  the  people  to  worship  this 
dangerous  enemy,  the  Hindoos  have  filled  their 
books  with  tales  concernins^  it.     Fisfures  of  it 

O  CD 

are  often  to  be  seen  in  the  temples,  and  on 
other  buildings.  They  seek  out  their  holes, 
which  are  generally  to  be  found  in  the  hillocks 
of  earth  which  are  thrown  up  by  the  white 
ants ;  and  when  they  find  one,  they  go  from 
time  to  time  and  offer  milk,  plantains,  and 
other  good  things  to  it. 


WURSHII'   OF  THE   SERl'CNT 


81 


'Wi 


The  Hindoos,  as  1  before  observed,  have 
eighteen  annual  festivals.  One  of  these  festi- 
vals is  held  for  the  purpose  of  worshipping  this 
serpent.  Temples  in  many  places  are  erected 
to  it,  of  wliich  there  is  one  of  great  celebrity  in 
Mysore.  When  the  festival  occurs  at  this  tem- 
ple, great  crowds  of  people  come  together  to 
offer  sacrifices  to  this  creeping  god.  Many 
serpents  besides  the  Cobra  Capella  live  within 
it,  in  holes  made  especially  for  them.  All  of 
these  are  kept  and  well  fed  by  the  Brahmins 


ScuJJer's  Tales. 


82       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

with  milk,  butter,  and  plantains.  By  such 
means  they  become  very  numerous,  and  may 
be  seen  swarming  from  every  crevice  in  the 
temple.  To  injure  or  to  kill  one  would  be  con- 
sidered a  great  crime. 

Many  of  the  natives  call  the  Cobra  Capella 
nulla  paampu,  that  is,  good  snake.  They  are 
afraid  to  call  it  a  bad  snake,  lest  it  should  injure 
them.  The  following  is  the  prayer. which  is 
offered  before  the  image  of  this  snake.  0,  di- 
vine Cobra,  preserve  and  sustain  us.  0,  Sheoh, 
partake  of  these  offerings,  and  be  gracious 
unto  us. 

Can  you  think  of  any  thing,  my  dear  chil- 
dren, more  dishonoring  to  a  holy  God,  than 
such  worship  ?  And  what  have  you  ever  done 
to  prevent  it  ?  Have  you,  every  morning  and 
evening,  prayed  that  the  Grospel  might  be  sent 
to  this  people  ?  Did  you  ever  give  any  money 
to  send  it  to  them  ?  Did  you  ever  think  whether 
it  may  not  be  your  duty,  by  and  by,  to  come 
to  them,  to  tell  them  of  this  Gospel  ? 


Tur:  RIVER  (;aN(;es.  83 

CHAPTER  XII. 


THE    RIVER    GANGES. 


My  dear  Ciiildrhn — If  you  will  look  at  the 
map  of  Asia,  and  find  the  country  of  Hindostan, 
you  will  see  running  through  it  a  very  cele- 
brated river — the  river  Ganc^es.  It  is  called 
the  Ganges,  after  the  goddess  Gunga.  The 
Hindoos  say  that  the  goddess  Gunga — who  was 
produced  from  the  sweat  of  Vrishnoo's  foot, 
which  Bruinha  caught  and  preserved  in  his 
alms-dish — came  down  from  heaven,  and  divided 
herself  into  one  hundred  streams,  which  are 
the  mouths  of  the  river  Ganges.  All  classes 
and  castes  worship  her.  The  sight,  the  name, 
or  the  touch  of  the  river  Gansres  is  said  to  take 
away  all  sin.  To  die  on  the  edge  of  the  river, 
or  to  die  partly  buried  in  the  stream,  drinking 
its  waters,  while  their  bodies  are  besmeared 
with  mud,  is  supposed  to  render  them  very 
holy.  On  this  account,  when  it  is  expected 
that  a  person  will  die,  he  is  hurried  down  to 
the  river,  whether  willing  or  unwilling.  Some- 
times the  wood  which  the  people  bring  to  burn 
their  bodies  after  death,  is  piled  up  before  their 


84        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

eyes.  0,  how  inhuman  is  this.  After  it  is 
supposed  that  they  are  dead,  and  they  are  placed 
on  the  pile  of  wood,  if  they  should  revive  and 
attempt  to  rise,  it  is  thought  that  they  are 
possessed  with  the  devil,  and  they  are  beaten 
down  with  a  hatchet  or  bamboo. 

Were  you  standing  on  the  banks  of  the  Gan- 
ges, you  might,  perhaps,  in  one  place  see  two 
or  three  young  men  carrying  a  sick  female  to 
the  river.  If  you  should  ask  what  they  are 
going  to  do  with  her,  perhaps  they  would  reply, 
We  are  going  to  give  her  up  to  Grunga,  to  purify 
her  soul,  that  she  may  go  to  heaven;  for  she  is 
our  mother.  In  another  place  you  might  see 
a  father  and  mother  sprinkling  a  beloved  child 
with  muddy  water,  endeavoring  to  soothe  his 
dying  agonies  by  saying,  "It  is  blessed  to  die 
by  Gunga,  my  son  ;  to  die  by  Gunga  is  blessed, 
my  son."  In  another  place  you  might  see  a 
man  descending  from  a  boat  with  empty  water- 
pans  tied  around  his  nock,  which  pans,  when 
filled,  will  drag  down  the  poor  creature  to  the 
bottom,  to  be  seen  no  more.  Here  is  murder 
in  the  name  of  religion.  He  is  a  devotee,  and 
has  purchased  heaven,  as  he  supposes,  by  this 
his  last  good  deed.     In  another  place  you  might 


THE   RIVER  GANGES  85 

see  a  person  seated  in  the  water,  accompanied 
by  a  priest,  who  pours  down  the  throat  of  the 
dying  man  mud  and  water,  and  cries  out,  "  0 
mother  Gunga,  receive  his  soul."  The  dying 
man  may  be  roused  to  sensibility  by  the  vio- 
lence. He  may  entreat  his  priest  to  desist ; 
but  his  entreaties  are  drowned.  He  persists  in 
pouring  the  mud  and  water  down  his  throat, 
until  he  is  gradually  stifled,  suffocated — suflb- 
cated  in  the  name  of  humanitv — sufl^ocated  in 
the  name  of  religion. 

It  happens,  sometimes,  in  cases  of  sudden 
and  violent  attacks  of  disease,  that  they  cannot 
be  conveyed  to  the  river  before  death.  Under 
such  circumstances,  a  bone  is  preserved,  and  at 
a  convenient  season  is  taken  down  and  thrown 
into  the  river.  This,  it  is  believed,  contributes 
essentially  to  the  salvation  of  the  deceased. 

Sometimes  strans^ers  are  left  on  the  banks  to 
die,  without  the  ceremony  of  drinking  Ganges 
water.  Of  these,  some  have  been  seen  creeping 
along  with  the  flesh  half  eaten  off  their  bones 
by  the  birds ;  others  with  their  limbs  torn  by 
dogs  and  jackals,  and  others  partly  covered  with 
insects. 

After  a  person  is  taken  down  to  the  river,  if 


86        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

he  should  recover,  it  is  looked  upon  by  his 
friends  as  a  great  misfortune.  He  becomes  an 
outcast.  Even  his  own  children  will  not  eat 
with  him,  nor  offer  him  the  least  attention.  If 
they  should  happen  to  touch  him,  they  must 
wash  their  bodies,  to  cleanse  them  from  the 
pollution  which  has  been  contracted.  About 
fifty  miles  north  of  Calcutta,  are  two  villages 
inhabited  entirely  by  these  poor  creatures,  who 
have  become  outcasts  in  consequence  of  their 
recovery  after  having  been  taken  down  to  the 
Ganges. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  Hoogly,  which  is 
one  of  the  branches  of  the  Granges,  is  the  island 
Sanger,  which  I  saw  as  we  approached  Cal- 
cutta, after  having  been  at  sea  for  one  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  days.  Now,  my  dear  chil- 
dren, if  you  come  out  to  India  as  missionaries, 
you  will  have  to  sail  nearly  one  hundred  and 
thirty  days  before  you  can  reach  it.  Sanger 
island  is  the  island  where,  formerly,  hundreds 
of  mothers  were  in  the  habit  of  throwins:  their 
children  to  the  crocodiles,  and  where  these 
mothers  were  wont  to  weep  and  cry  if  the 
crocodiles  did  not  devour  their  children  before 
their   eyes.     Think  what  a  dreadful    religion 


THE   lllVBR   GANGES. 


87 


that  must  be,  which  makes  mothers  so  hard- 
hearted. Did  you  ever  take  any  corn  or  Indian 
meal  and  throw  it  to  the  chickens  ?  And  what 
did  tliese  chickens  do  ?  Did  they  not  come 
around  you  and  eat  it  ?  Well,  just  in  this  way 
the  crocodiles  would  come  near  those  mothers, 
and  devour  their  children.  Here  is  a  picture  of 
a  mother  throwing  her  child  to  a  crocodile. 


/'.vS?^' 


-ii^ 


J.  am  glad  to  tell  you,  that  the  British  have 
put  a  stop  to  the  sacrifice  of  children  at  that 
place ;  but  mothers  continue  to  destroy  their 
cliildren  elsewhere,  and  will  contipue  to  destroy 


88  TALES   ABOUT   THE   HEATHEiN. 

them  until  Christians  send  the  Gospel  to  them. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  vast  numbers  of  chil- 
dren are  annually  destroyed  in  the  Ganges. 
Mothers  sacrifice  them,  in  consequence  of  vows 
which  they  have  made.  When  the  time  to 
sacrifice  them  has  come,  they  take  them  down 
to  the  river,  and  encourage  them  to  go  out  so 
far  that  they  are  taken  away  by  the  stream,  or 
they  push  them  off  with  their  own  hands. 

I  just  remarked,  that  mothers  will  continue 
to  destroy  their  children  until  the  Gospel  is 
sent  to  them.  That  the  Gospel  does  prevent 
such  things,  the  following  circumstance  will 
show.  Several  years  ago,  a  missionary  lady 
went  from  New  England  to  India.  As  she  was 
walkinsr  out  one  mornino^,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ganges,  she  saw  a  heathen  mother  weeping. 
She  went  up  to  her,  sat  down  by  her  side,  put 
her  hand  into  hers,  and  asked  what  was  the 
matter  with  her.  "  I  have  just  been  making 
a  basket  of  flags,"  said  she,  "  and  putting  my 
infant  in  it — pushing  it  off  into  the  river,  and 
drowning  it.  And  my  gods  are  very  much 
pleased  with  me,  because  I  have  done  it." 
After  this  missionary  lady  had  heard  all  she 
had  to  say,  she  told  her  that  her  gods  were  no 


Tin:   RIVER   GANGES.  gQ 

gods ;  that  the  only  true  God  delights  not  in 
such  sacrifices,  but  turns  in  horror  from  them ; 
and  that,  if  she  would  be  happy  here  and  here- 
after, she  must  forsake  her  sins,  and  pray  to 
Jesus  Christ,  who  died  to  save  sinners  like  her- 
self. This  conversation  was  the  means  of  the 
conversion  of  that  mother,  and  she  never  again 
destroyed  any  of  her  infants. 

Such  is  the  power  of  the  blessed  Gospel. 
And  what  the  Gospel  has  done  once,  it  can  do 
again.  If  Christians  will  send  it  to  them,  with 
the  blessing  of  God,  the  time  will  soon  come 
when  heathen  mothers  will  no  more  destroy 
their  children.  And  have  you  nothing  to  do  in 
this  great  work,  my  dear  children  ?  When  you 
grow  up,  cannot  you  go  and  tell  them  of  the 
Saviour  ?  Here  is  a  very  pretty  hymn  about 
a  heathen  mother  throwini?  her  child  to  a 
crocodile. 

See  that  heathen  mother  stand 
Where  the  sacred  currents  flow, 
With  her  own  maternal  hand, 
'Mid  the  waves  her  infant  throw. 

Hark,  I  hear  the  piteous  scream — 
Frightful  monsters  seize  their  prey, 
Or  the  dark  and  bloody  stream 
Bears  the  struggling  child  away. 


90        TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 


Fainter  now^  and  fainter  still. 
Breaks  the  cry  upon  the  ear; 
But  the  mother's  heart  is  steel, 
She  unmoved  that  cry  can  hear 


Send,  0  send  the  Bible  there, 
Let  its  precepts  reach  the  heart ; 
She  may  then  her  children  spare. 
Act  the  mother's  tender  part. 

I  have  heard  of  a  little  boy  who  learned  this 
hymn.  He  was  deeply  affected  by  it,  and 
wanted  very  much  to  give  something  to  send 
the  Grospel  to  India.  But  he  had  no  money. 
He  was,  however,  willing  to  labor  in  order  to 
earn  some.  Hearing  that  a  gentleman  wanted 
the  chips  removed  from  the  ground  near  his 
woodpile,  he  hired  himself  to  him,  removed  the 
chips,  got  his  money,  and,  with  glistening  eyes, 
went  and  delivered  it  up,  to  be  sent  to  the  hea- 
then, repeating,  as  he  went. 

Send;  0  send  the  Bible  there, 
Let  its  precepts  reach  the  heart , 
She  may  then  her  children  spare, 
Act  the  mother's  tender  part. 

About  one  hundred  miles  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Hoogly  is  the  city  of  Calcutta,  and  about 
five  hundred  miles  above  that  city  is  the  city 
of  Benares.     In  these  cities,  as  well  as  in  other 


THE   RIVKR   C;ANr.ES.  91 

places,  we  see  how  much  the  heathen  will  con- 
tribute to  support  their  wretched  religion.     A 
rich  native  in  Calcutta  has  been  known  to  spend 
more  than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  on 
a  single  festival— the  festival  of  the  goddess 
Karle — and  more  than  thirty  thousand  dollars 
every  year  afterwards  during  his  life,  for  the 
same  purpose.     Not  long  since,  a  rich  native 
gave  at  one  time  to  his  idols  more  than  one 
million  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.     And 
what  have  Christians  ever  done  to  honor  their 
Saviour,  which  will  bear  a  comparison  with 
what  the  heathen  do  for  their  idols?     Alas, 
alas,  few  Christian  men  or  Christian  women, 
in  all  the  church,  are  willing  to  give  even  one- 
tenth  of  their  annual  income  to  the  Lord.    Most 
of  those  who  are  rich,  hoard  up  their  money, 
instead  of  spending  it  for  the  purpose  of  saving 
souls.     And  there  are  many  persons  who  have 
never  given  a  farthing  to  send  the  Gospel  to 
the  heathen.     0,  what  will  such   say,  when 
they  must  meet  the  heathen  at  the  bar  of  God? 


92  TALES   ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
THE    GODDESS    DURGA. 

My  DEAR  Children — From  what  I  said,  in 
my  last  chapter,  about  the  goddess  Gunga,  you 
see  that  the  Hindoos  worship  goddesses  as  well 
as  gods.  There  is  another  goddess  much  wor- 
shipped, the  wife  of  the  god  Siva.  She  has 
appeared  in  a  thousand  forms,  with  a  thousand 
diderent  names.  Of  all  these  thousand  forms, 
Durga  and  Karle  are  the  most  regarded  by  the 
people.  I  will  speak  of  Durga  first.  Of  all  the 
festivals  in  Eastern  India,  hers  is  the  most  cel- 
ebrated. She  has  ten  hands,  in  which  she  holds 
an  iron  club,  a  trident,  a  battle-axe,  spears, 
thunderbolts,  etc.  Thus  armed,  she  is  ever 
ready  to  fight  with  her  enemies. 

Were  you  to  be  present  in  the  city  of  Cal- 
cutta in  the  month  of  September,  you  might 
everywhere  see  the  people  busy  in  preparing 
for  the  yearly  festival  of  this  goddess.  Images 
representing  her  you  would  find  in  great  num- 
bers for  sale,  as  bread  or  meat  is  sold.  In  the 
houses  of  the  rich,  images  are  to  be  found  made 
of  gold,  silver,  brass,  copper,  crystal,  stone,  or 


THi:   GODDESS   DURG  A  93 

mixed  metal,  which  arc  daily  worshipped. 
These  are  called  permanent  images.  Besides 
these,  multitudes  of  what  are  called  temporary 
images  are  made — made  merely  for  the  occa- 
sion, and  then  destroyed.  They  may  be  made 
of  hay,  sticks,  clay,  wood,  or  other  such  things. 
Their  size  varies  from  a  few  inches  to  twenty 
feet  in  height.  If  any  persons  are  too  poor  to 
buy  one  of  these  images,  they  can  make  them 
for  "themselves.  When  the  festival  is  near  at 
hand,  people  are  seen  in  every  direction  taking 
the  images  to  their  houses.  After  they  are 
thus  supplied,  the  festival  commences.  It  lasts 
fifteen  days.  The  greater  part  of  this  time  is 
spent  in  preparing  for  the  three  great  days  of 
worship.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  first  of 
the  three  great  days,  the  Brahmins  proceed  to 
consecrate  the  images,  or  to  give  them,  as  they 
suppose,  life  and  understanding.  Until  they 
are  consecrated,  they  are  not  thought  to  be  of 
any  value.  They  are  loolvcd  upon  as  senseless. 
A.  wealthy  family  can  always  receive  the  ser- 
vices of  one  or  more  Brahmins,  and  a  few  of 
the  poor  may  unite  and  secure  the  services  of 
one  of  them.  At  length  the  solemn  hour  ar- 
rives.   The  Brahmin,  with  the  leaves  of  a  sacred 


94       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

tree,  comes  near  the  image.  With  the  two  fore- 
fingers of  his  right  hand  he  touches  the  breast, 
the  two  cheeks,  the  eyes,  and  the  forehead  of 
the  image,  at  each  touch  saying  the  prayer, 
"Let  the  spirit  of  Durga  descend  and  take  pos- 
session of  this  image."  By  such  ceremonies, 
and  by  repeating  various  munfrums,  it  is  sup- 
posed that  the  Brahmins  have  the  power  to 
bring  down  the  goddess  to  take  possession  of 
the  image.  Having  been  thus  consecrated,  it 
is  believed  to  be  a  proper  object  of  worship. 
Having  eyes,  it  can  now  behold  every  act  of 
worship  which  is  made  ;  having  ears,  it  can  be 
delighted  with  music  and  with  songs ;  having 
a  nose,  it  can  smell  the  sweet  perfumes  which 
are  offered ;  having  a  mouth,  it  can  be  delight- 
ed with  the  rich  food  which  is  prepared  for  it. 
After  the  image  is  consecrated,  the  worship 
begins.  The  devotee  comes  near  the  image, 
and  falls  down  before  it.  He  then  twists  him- 
self into  a  great  variety  of  shapes.  Sometimes 
he  sits  on  the  floor,  sometimes  he  stands,  some- 
times he  looks  in  one  direction,  sometimes  in 
another.  Then  he  sprinkles  the  idol  with  holy 
water,  rinses  its  mouth,  washes  its  feet,  wipes 
it  with  a  dry  cloth,  throws  flowers  over  it,  puts 


THi:   GuUDKSS   ULRC^A.  95 

jewels  on  it,  offers  perfumes  to  it,  and  finishes 
by  performing  sliaashtaangkum. 

The  worship  of  the  idol  is  succeeded  by  a 
season  of  carousing,  joy,  and  festivity.  On  this 
occasion,  large  offerings  are  made  to  the  idols. 
A  rich  native  has  been  known  to  offer  eighty 
thousand  pounds  of  sweetmeats,  eighty  thou- 
sand pounds  of  sugar,  a  thousand  suits  of  cloth 
garments,  a  thousand  suits  of  silk,  a  thousand 
offerings  of  rice,  plantains,  and  other  fruits. 

Bloody  sacrifices  are  offered  up  on  such  oc- 
casions. The  king  of  Nudiya,  some  time  ago, 
offered  a  large  number  of  sheep,  goats,  and 
buffaloes  on  the  first  day  of  the  feast,  and  vowed 
to  double  the  offering  every  day ;  so  that  the 
whole  number  sacrificed  amounted  to  more 
than  sixty-five  thousand.  You  may  remember 
that  king  Solomon  offered  up  on  one  occasion 
twenty-two  thousand  oxen,  and  a  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  sheep.  If  all  the  animals 
slain  throughout  Hindostan,  at  the  festival  of 
the  goddess  Durga,  were  collected  together, 
they  would  amount  to  a  much  larger  number 
than  Solomon  offered. 

After  the  worship  and  offerings  have  been 
continued  for  three  days,  the  festival  closes. 


96       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

As  the  morning  of  the  first  day  was  devoted 
to  the  consecration  of  the  images,  the  morning 
of  the  fourth  is  spent  in  unconsecrating  them. 
This  work  is  done  by  the  Brahmins.  They 
profess,  by  various  ceremonies,  to  send  back  the 
goddess  to  her  heaven,  concluding  with  a  fare- 
well address,  in  which  they  tell  her  that  they 
expect  her  to  accept  of  all  their  services,  and 
return  and  pay  them  a  visit  again  in  the  coming 
year.  Then  all  unite  in  bidding  her  a  sorrow- 
ful adieu,  and  many  seem  affected  even  to  the 
shedding  of  tears. 

Soon  afterwards  the  images  are  carried  forth 
into  the  streets,  placed  on  stages  or  platforms, 
and  raised  on  men's  shoulders.  As  the  proces- 
sion moves  onward  through  the  streets,  accom- 
panied with  music  and  songs,  amid  clouds  of 
dust,  you  might  see  them  waving  long  hairy 
brushes  to  wipe  ofT  the  dust,  and  to  keep  off 
the  flies  and  mosquitoes,  which  might  trouble 
the  senseless  images.  But  where  are  these 
processions  going  ?  To  the  banks  of  the  Gan- 
ges. And  for  what  purpose  ?  For  the  purpose 
of  casting  the  images  into  the  river.  "When  all 
the  ceremonies  connected  with  the  occasion  are 
finished,  those  who  carry  the  images  suddenly 


TIlK   (iOnUKSS    DLRCiA.  97 

fall  upon  them,  break  them  to  pieces,  and  then 
throw  them  with  violence  into  the  river.  After 
this  the  people  return  to  their  homes. 

I  have  now  given  you  a  specimen  of  the  image- 
worship  of  the  Hindoos ;  and  how  different  is 
it  from  the  worship  which  the  Bible  enjoins. 
"God  is  a  Spirit;  and  they  who  worship  him, 
must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  The 
very  reverse  of  this,  as  you  have  seen,  marks 
the  worship  of  the  heathen.  They  are  not  sat- 
isfied, unless  they  can  have  some  object  before 
them,  to  which  they  can  make  their  offerings 
and  their  prayers.  Thus  daily  are  they  engaged 
in  a  service  which,  above  all  others,  is  the  most 
offensive  and  provoking  to  a  holy  God — a  ser- 
vice which  has  caused  him  to  declare,  that  idol- 
aters shall  not  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
This,  too,  is  the  service  in  which  every  person, 
who  has  never  given  himself  to  the  Saviour,  is 
engaged  ;  and,  of  course,  in  which  you  are  en- 
gaged, if  you  have  not  given  your  hearts  to  him. 
Those  who  think  more  of  their  money  than  they 
think  of  Christ,  just  as  certainly  worship  the 
image  which  is  stamped  on  a  dollar  or  a  cent, 
as  the  heathen  worship  their  idols.  Those  who 
love   their  fathers  and  mothers,  and  brothers 

ScuJdcr^  Tale*-  7 


98  TALES   ABOUT   THE    HEATHExN. 

and  sisters  more  than  Christ,  make  these  their 
idols.  And  are  you,  my  dear  children,  yet  out 
of  Christ  ?  If  so,  you  have  your  idols.  And 
what  are  these  idols  ?  Are  they  the  world  and 
its  vanities  ?  Then  God  is  as  angry  with  you 
as  he  is  with  the  heathen,  and  unless  you  give 
up  these  idols,  you  too  must  be  lost. 

In  a  tract  of  mine,  published  by  the  Amer- 
ican Tract  Society,  entitled,  "Knocking  at  the 
Door" — a  tract  which  I  most  earnestly  entreat 
you  to  get  and  read — you  will  find  an  account 
of  the  death  of  a  young  lady,  who  had  chosen 
the  world  and  its  vanities  as  her  idols.  I  was 
her  physician.  After  having  attended  her  fur 
about  a  month,  I  perceived,  one  morning,  that 
her  disease  must  soon  prove  fatal.  I  told  her 
that  she  could  not  live.  She  then  exclaimed, 
"  Doctor,  can  I  not  live  a  month  ?"  I  informed 
her  that  she  could  not.  Again  she  exclaimed, 
"Can  I  not  live  two  weeks?"  She  was  told 
that  she  could  not  live  two  weeks.  And  such 
a  scene  of  horror  followed  as  I  never  before 
witnessed,  and  may  God  be  pleased  to  grant 
that  I  may  never  witness  such  another.  Until 
laid  upon  a  dying  bed,  I  fear  that  she  had  neg- 
lected to  think  about  her  soul's  concerns.    Now 


THE  GODDESS   DURG  A.  90 

she  requested  to  be  taken  from  it,  and  placed 
upon  her  knees,  that  she  might  call  upon  God 
to  have  mercy  upon  her.  As  her  case  excited 
much  attention,  some  of  the  youth  came  to  see 
lior.  These  she  warned,  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  not  to  put  off  repentance,  as  she  had 
done,  to  a  dying  hour.  Looking  up  at  me,  on 
one  occasion,  she  exclaimed,  "  Doctor,  cannot 
you  save  me  ?"  Alas,  wliat  could  I  do  for  the 
poor  sufferer.  AVitness,  now,  how  anxious  she 
was  to  obtain  the  favor  of  that  God  whom  she 
had  hitherto  neglected.  Yes,  so  anxious  that 
she  requested  her  friends  not  to  allow  her  to 
sleep,  that  she  might  spend  every  remaining 
breath  in  calling  upon  God  to  have  mercy  upon 
her.  One  very  affecting  circumstance  occur- 
red. She  requested  her  trunk  either  to  be 
brought  to  her  bedside,  or  to  be  opened.  From 
this  a  ring,  which  was  set  with  red  garnets, 
was  taken  out  by  herself,  or  by  another,  and 
handed  to  her.  She  then  called  a  young  friend 
to  her  bedside,  put  the  ring  upon  her  "finger,  and 
said  to  her,  "  Don't  you  put  off  repentance,  as 
1  have  done,  until  a  dying  hour."  That  ring 
is  now  in  my  possession.  In  less  than  forty- 
eight  hours  after  I  told  her  that  she  could  not 


100      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN 

live,  she  passed  into  eternity.  Would  that  I 
could  show  you  that  mournful  countenance, 
which  continued  long  after  the  last  spark  of  life 
nad  become  extinct ;  yes,  even  up  to  the  mo- 
ment when  the  lid  of  her  coffin  tor  ever  hid  it 
from  our  view.  Never,  never  shall  I  forget  it. 
It  was  a  sad  monument  of  the  wreck  within. 

Now,  my  dear  children,  you  would  not  like 
to  die  as,  I  fear,  this  young  lady  died.  Well, 
then,  if  you  would  die  differently,  you  must 
live  differently.  You  must  live  for  Christ,  if 
you  would  die  in  Christ.  And  are  you  Christ's, 
or  are  you  yet  gay  and  thoughtless — as  gay  and 
as  thoughtless  as  this  young  lady  was,  until 
laid  upon  her  dying  bed  ?  If  you  are  so,  and  if 
you  continue  to  remain  in  this  sad  condition, 
your  season  of  sorrow  too  will  certainly  come, 
and  it  will  come  when  you  expect  it  not.  As 
the  little  insect  which  flies  round  and  round 
your  candle  is  dazzled  with  its  brightness,  and 
feels  nothing  but  pleasure,  until  it  uncon- 
sciously strikes  the  blaze  with  its  little  wings, 
and  is  swallowed  up  in  the  flame ;  so  you  are 
dazzled  with  the  pleasures  of  the  w^orld,  think- 
ing nothing  of  the  flames  which  may  swallow 
you  up  in  a  moment,  and  put  a  stop  to  all  your 


Tin:   (JOUDES.S    DURCiA.  101 

joys  for  ever.  0,  that  the  death-bed  scene  of 
]\Iiss  ]\ratthe\vs  iniglit  have  a  happy  effect  upon 
you.  0,  that  the  solemn  warning  which  slie 
gave  to  lier  young  friend,  not  to  put  ofT  repent- 
ance, as  she  had  done,  until  a  dying  hour,  might 
continue  to  sound  in  your  ears,  until  you  would 
no  longer  delay  repentance.  My  dear  children, 
this  young  lady,  though  dead,  yet  speaketh. 
She  speaks  to  you.  She  calls  upon  you  from 
her  tomb — from  the  eternal  world,  to  delay  re- 
pentance no  longer.  Will  you,  then,  be  so  mad 
as  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  this  call  ?  Will  you 
ever  take  another  sip  from  the  cup  of  unhal- 
lowed pleasure?  AVill  you  ever  direct  your 
little  feet  to  the  ballroom,  or  other  places  of 
sinful  amusement  ?  Will  you  hereafter  prefer 
your  worldly  joys  to  Christ  ?  0,  you  must  not, 
you  must  not.  It  will  not  do  for  you  to  be  lost. 
AVho,  0  who  can  lie  down  in  everlasting  burn- 
ings? Who  can  dwell  for  ever  with  devouring 
flames? 


102  TALES   ABOUT   T  il  E   HEATHEN. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    GODDESS    KARLE, 

My  DEAR  Children — In  the  preceding  chap- 
ter I  spoke  of  Karle.  She,  as  I  there  mention- 
ed, is  the  wife  of  Siva,  and,  like  her  husband, 
has  the  power  of  destruction.  From  the  images 
made  of  her,  it  would  appear  that  she  is  a  fe- 
male, of  a  black  or  dark  bkie  color.  She  has 
four  arms.  In  one  hand  she  holds  a  sword,  and 
in  another  a  human  head.  Her  hair  is  dishev- 
elled, reaching  down  to  her  feet.  Her  counte- 
nance is  most  ferocious.  Her  tongue  comes 
out  of  her  mouth,  and  hangs  over  her  chin. 
She  has  three  eyes,  red  and  fiery.  Her  lips 
and  eyebrows  are  streaked  with  blood.  She  has 
two  dead  bodies  for  ear-rings,  and  wears  a 
girdle  around  her  loins — a  girdle  made  of  bloody 
hands,  which  she  CLit  off  from  the  bodies  of  her 
enemies.  She  has  a  necklace  of  skulls,  which 
she  took  from  the  bodies  of  the  giants  and  others 
killed  by  her. 

Of  all  the  Hindoo  divinities,  this  goddess  is 
the  most  cruel  and  revens^eful.  Such  is  her 
thirst  for  blood,  that  being  unable  at  one  time 


T  If  L   (JODDKSS   K  AULi: 


10.3 


^^ 


to  procure  any  giants  for  hor  prey,  in  order  to 
quench  her  thirst,  she  cut  her  own  throat,  that 
the  blood  issuing  thence  might  spout  into  her 
mouth.  Different  acts  of  worship  are  perform- 
ed to  appease  her.  If,  for  example,  a  devotee 
should  burn  his  body,  by  applying  a  burning 
lamp  to  it,  it  would  be  very  pleasing  to  her.  If 
he  should  draw  some  of  his  blood  and  give  it 
to  her,  or  if  he  should  cut  off  a  piece  of  his  ilesh 
and  offer  it  as  a  burnt-ollering,  she  would  be 
still  more  pleased.     If  he  should  present  whole 


104       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

biirnt-oiferings  upon  the  altar,  saying,  "Hrang, 
hrang,  Karle,  Karle  I  0,  horrid-toothed  god- 
dess, eat,  eat ;  destroy  all  the  malignant :  cut 
with  this  axe  ;  bind,  bind  ;  seize,  seize  ;  drink 
this  blood ;  spheng,  spheng ;  secure,  secure ; 
salutation  to  Karle,"  she  would  be  much  de- 
lighted. It  is  said  that  she  will  be  pleased  for 
three  months,  if  the  people  offer  her  the  blood 
of  a  crocodile — for  a  thousand  years,  if  they 
offer  her  the  blood  of  one  man,  and  a  hundred 
thousand  years,  if  they  offer  her  the  blood  of 
three. 

This  goddess  is  the  patroness  of  thieves.  To 
her  they  pay  their  devotions,  to  obtain  help  to 
carry  on  their  wicked  designs.  Gangs  meet 
together,  and,  after  having  offered  bloody  sac- 
rifices, and  worshipped  their  weapons,  and  hav- 
ing drunk  some  intoxicating  liquor,  and  rubbed 
their  bodies  with  oil,  they  go  forth  to  rob. 
They  have  a  prayer,  which  they  offer  when 
they  worship  their  weapons.  It  is  as  follows : 
"  0,  instrument  formed  by  the  goddess,  Karle 
commands  thee  to  cut  a  passage  into  the  house, 
to  cut  through  stones,  bones,  bricks,  wood,  the 
earth,  and  mountains,  and  cause  the  dust  there- 
of to  be  carried  away  by  the  wind."     Scattered 


THE   (iODDESS    KARLE.  1()5 

thronghoiit  India,  there  is  a  lawless  set  of  men 
whose  profession  it  is  to  get  their  food  by  mur- 
der. Tliey  are  called  Phansiagars,  or  Thugs. 
They  owe  their  origin  and  laws  to  Karle.  They 
say  that  she  told  them  to  become  murderers 
and  plunderers.  They  are  called  Phansiagars, 
from  the  name  of  the  instrument  which  they 
use  when  they  murder  people.  Phansiagar 
means  a  strangler,  and  they  use  a  phansi,  or 
noose,  which  they  throw  over  the  necks  of  those 
whom  they  intend  to  plunder,  and  strangle 
them.  These  Phansiagars  are  composed  of  all 
castes,  Hindoos,  Mahommedans,  pariahs,  and 
chandellars.  This  arises  from  the  circumstance 
that  they  never  destroy  the  children  of  those 
whom  they  rob  and  murder.  These  children 
they  take  care  of,  and  bring  up  to  their  own 
horrible  mode  of  life.  They  always  murder 
those  whom  they  rob,  acting  upon  the  maxim 
that  "  dead  men  tell  no  tales."  A  srans:  of 
these  robbers  varies  from  a  dozen  to  sixty  or 
seventy  persons.  These  divide  into  small  par- 
ties. Those  whom  they  murder  are  travellers, 
whom  they  happen  to  meet  on  the  road.  Some- 
times two  or  three  of  a  gang  will  take  up  tlieir 
station  in  a  choultry,  or  place  where  the  trav- 


106      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

eller  stops,  and  while  he  sleeps,  they  rouse  him 
from  his  sleep,  and  cast  the  noose  over  his 
head  and  kill  him.  It  takes  two  persons  to  kill 
a  man.  One  casts  the  noose  over  his  head,  and 
immediately  tightens  it  with  all  his  strength ; 
the  other  strikes  him  on  the  joint  of  his  knees 
as  he  rises,  which  causes  him  to  fall  forwards. 
After  he  has  fallen,  they  kick  him  on  the  tem- 
ples till  he  dies,  which  is  usually  in  a  minute. 
They  never  commit  a  murder  until  they  have 
taken  every  precaution  not  to  be  found  out. 
They  will  follow  a  traveller  for  weeks,  if  neces- 
sary, before  they  destroy  him.  After  they  have 
murdered  him,  they  gash  the  body  all  over  and 
bury  it.  They  gash  it,  that  it  may  not  swell, 
and  cause  cracks  to  take  place  in  the  ground^ 
which  might  cause  the  jackals  to  dig  down  to 
the  body,  and  thus  expose  their  guilt.  If  a  dog 
accompanies  the  person,  they  always  kill  it, 
lest  the  faithful  creature  should  lead  to  the  dis- 
covery of  his  master.  They  think  it  to  be  a 
very  good  act  to  give  a  part  of  the  plunder, 
which  they  get  when  they  murder  a  person,  to 
their  goddess.  If  they  fail  to  put  him  to  death 
according  to  their  rules,  they  suppose  that  they 
have  made  her  angry,  and  they  make  offerings 


THE  GODDKSS  KARLE.  107 

to  her,  that  she  may  be  appeased.  Thus,  you 
see  that  their  religion  teaches  them  to  commit 
the  blackest  of  crimes. 

The  reason  why  this  people  gash  and  bury 
tlie  bodies  of  those  whom  tliey  murder,  is  as 
follows.  They  say  that  the  goddess  used  to 
save  them  the  trouble  of  burying  the  corpses 
of  their  victims  by  eating  them,  thus  screening 
the  murderers  from  all  chance  of  being  found 
out.  Once,  after  the  murder  of  a  traveller,  the 
body  was,  as  usual,  left  unburied.  One  of  the 
Phansiagars  employed,  unguardedly  looking  be- 
hind him,  saw  the  goddess  in  the  act  of  feast- 
ing upon  it.  This  made  her  so  angry,  that  she 
vowed  never  again  to  devour  a  body  slaughter- 
ed by  them;  they  having,  by  this  one  act  of 
curiosity,  forfeited  her  favor.  However,  as  an 
equivalent  for  withdrawing  her  patronage,  she 
plucked  one  of  the  fangs  from  her  jaw,  and 
gave  it  to  them,  saying  that  they  might  use  it 
as  a  pickaxe,  which  would  never  wear  out. 
She  then  opened  her  side  and  pulled  out  one 
of  her  ribs,  which  she  gave  them  for  a  knife, 
whose  edi'e  nothin<2:  could  blunt.  Havins:  done 
this,  she  stooped  down  and  tore  off  the  hem  of 
her  garment,  which  she  gave   to  them  for  a 


109  TALES   ABOUT  THE   HEATHEN. 

noose,  declaring  that  it  would  never  fail  to 
strangle  any  person  about  whose  throat  it  might 
])e  cast.  She  moreover  commanded  them  to 
gash  and  bury  the  bodies  of  those  whom  they 
destroyed. 

The  Phansiagars  bring  up  their  children  to 
their  own  profession.  To  learn  this,  the  boy  is 
placed  under  the  care  of  a  tutor.  Sometimes 
his  father  is  his  teacher.  By  him  he  is  taught 
that  it  is  just  as  proper  to  murder  a  man,  as  it 
is  to  kill  a  snake  which  lies  in  his  path  and 
would  bite  him  as  he  passes.  He  is  not  per- 
mitted at  first  to  see  the  murders,  but  merely 
a  dead  body  ;  his  mind  being  gradually  pre- 
pared for  the  sight.  After  this,  the  dreadful 
secret  of  his  trade  is,  by  degrees,  told  him. 
When  he  expresses  a  wish  to  be  engaged  in  this 
horrid  business,  they  tell  him  all  about  it.  In 
the  meantime  he  is  allowed  a  small  part  of  the 
plunder,  in  order  that  his  desire  to  commit 
these  murders  may  be  increased ;  since  it  is 
only  by  murder  that  the  plunder  is  obtained. 
He  is  from  time  to  time  allowed  to  assist  in 
some  things,  wliile  the  murder  is  taking  place, 
or  allowed  to  be  present  to  see  how  the  business 
is  managed.     It  is  not,  however,  until  he  be- 


T  UK   GODDESS   K  A  RLE.  lOQ 

comes  a  man,  that  he  is  permitted  to  apply  the 
noose.  To  attain  this  privilege,  he  usually  de- 
votes eight  or  ten  years.  Before  he  can  com- 
mit a  murder,  his  tutor  must  present  him  with 
a  noose.  This  sets  him  loose  upon  the  world, 
as  a  licensed  murderer.  When  the  tutor  is 
about  to  give  him  the  noose,  he  takes  him 
apart,  and  solemnly  enjoins  it  upon  him  to  use 
it  with  skill,  as  it  is  to  be  the  means  of  his  earn- 
ing his  food,  and  as  his  safety  will  depend  upon 
the  skill  with  which  it  is  used.  After  he  re- 
ceives it,  he  tries  his  skill  in  strangling  a  person 
the  first  opportunity  that  offers. 

By  the  course  of  education  which  the  Phan- 
siagars  undergo,  they  become  so  fond  of  their 
dreadful  occupation,  that  nothing  can  induce 
them  to  quit  it.  Some  who  have  been  em- 
ployed in  the  East  India  Company's  service, 
have  always  returned  to  their  business  when 
an  opportunity  offered  of  a  successful  enter- 
prise. 

When  the  Phansiagars  become  old,  they  do 
not  quit  the  service,  but  act  as  watchers,  and 
decoy  the  traveller,  by  some  false  tale  of  dis- 
tress, into  some  distant  place,  where  he  is 
murdered. 


110      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

Women  are  sometimes  admitted  to  the  soci- 
ety of  these  plmiderers,  and,  on  some  occasions, 
are  allowed  to  apply  the  noose.  They  select  a 
handsome  girl,  and  place  her  in  a  convenient 
spot,  where,  by  her  beauty,  or  by  a  false  story 
of  distress,  she  may  decoy  some  unsuspecting 
traveller,  and  be  the  means  of  his  destruction. 
Should  he  be  on  horseback,  she  will  induce  him 
to  take  her  up  behind  him;  after  which,  when 
an  opportunity  offers,  she  throws  the  noose 
over  his  head,  leaps  from  the  horse,  drags  him 
to  the  ground,  and  strangles  him.  I  will  men- 
tion an  instance.  It  happened  that  a  horseman 
of  Coorg,  in  the  Madras  presidency,  w^as  pass- 
ing by  a  spot  where  one  of  these  interesting- 
looking  girls  w^as  stationed.  She  told  him  a 
piteous  story  of  having  been  robbed  and  badly 
treated,  and  begged  him  to  assist  her.  Feeling 
sorry  for  her,  he  offered  to  take  her  behind  him, 
on  his  horse,  and  thus  assist  her  a  few  miles  on 
her  journey.  She  expressed  much  gratitude 
for  his  kindness,  and  mounted.  Soon  after- 
wards she  suddenly  passed  a  noose  over  his 
head,  and,  drawing  it  with  all  her  might,  en- 
deavored to  pull  him  from  his  saddle.  At  this 
moment,  a  number  of  Phansiagars  started  from 


THK   GODDESS  KARI.E.  HI 

the  neiofhborinc]:  thicket  and  surrounded  him. 
The  murderess  then  slipped  from  the  horse  ; 
but  the  Coor":  striking?  his  heels  into  the  horse's 
sides,  it  threw  out  its  hind  legs  with  great  vio- 
lence, and  struck  to  the  ground  the  girl,  who 
immediately  let  go  the  cord.  He  then  drew 
his  sword,  and,  cutting  his  way  through  the 
robbers,  effected  his  escape.  He  wounded  two 
of  them  severely.  These  men  were  shortly 
afterwards  taken,  and,  through  their  means, 
twelve  others  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  judicial 
officers  of  the  king  of  Coorg,  including  the  girl 
who  attempted  the  murder.  They  were  all 
put  to  death. 

And  is  it  possible  that  such  persons  can  go  to 
heaven  ?  How  could  such  ever  relish  its  pure 
joys  ?  What  would  they  do,  could  they  be  ad- 
mitted there  ?  My  dear  children,  it  is  a  charity 
which  has  no  foundation,  to  suppose  that  the 
heathen  can  go  to  heaven.  I  have  preached  the 
Gospel  to  tens  of  thousands  of  them,  but  I 
never  saw  one  who  had  the  least  atom  of  a 
qualification  for  that  holy  place.  "  They  have 
all  gone  out  of  the  way."  Every  crime  which 
the  apostle  Paul  speaks  of  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  first  chapter  of  his  epistle  to  the  Romans, 


112  TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN. 

they  commit,  and  crimes  of  so  dreadful  a 
nature  that  I  cannot  mention  them — crimes 
which,  should  they  be  written  in  the  Bible, 
would  cause  the  Bible  to  be  a  sealed  book  for 
ever. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SELF-TORTURES    OF    THE    HINDOOS, 

My  dear  Children — As  the  heathen  have  no 
Bible  to  direct  them,  they  have  devised  various 
means  by  which  they  expect  to  obtain  the  favor 
of  their  gods,  and  get  to  heaven.  I  will  men- 
tion some  of  these. 

Some  burn  a  lamp  in  a  temple.  They  think 
that  this  is  a  very  meritorious  act.  Some  roll 
on  the  ground  after  the  god,  as  he  is  carried  in 
a  great  car  or  chariot  around  the  temple.  It 
is  customary  for  the  people  to  build  very  high 
cars  or  chariots,  and  cover  them  with  very 
beautiful  cloths.  They  also  tie  the  cocoa-nut 
blossom  and  plantain-tree  within  them,  and 
attach  great  ropes  to  them.  When  they  are 
ready  to  drag  these  cars,  or  chariots,  they  bring 
their  gods  of  gold  or  of  brass  from  the  temples, 


SKLF-TORTURi:.  113 

and  place  them  on  them.  Then  one,  two,  three, 
six,  nine  hundred,  and  even  a  thousand  persons, 
when  the  cars  are  very  large,  catch  hold  of 
these  ropes  and  drag  them  around  the  temple. 
While  they  are  doing  this,  many  of  the  hea- 
then, to  fulfil  vows  which  they  made  when  in 
sickness,  and  at  other  times  of  distress,  throw 
themselves  on  the  ground,  and  roll  over  from 
side  to  side,  and  frequently  much  injure  them- 
selves. 

Some  swing  on  great  hooks,  w^hich  are  pass- 
ed through  the  tender  parts  of  their  backs. 
Sometimes  they  swing  for  half  an  hour  ;  some- 
times an  hour.  The  longer  they  can  bear  the 
torture  of  the  swinging,  the  more  acceptable 
they  suppose  it  will  be  to  their  goddess.  It  oc- 
casionally happens,  that  the  iiesh  in  which  the 
hoolrs  are  fastened  gives  way,  in  which  case 
the  poor  creature  is  dashed  to  the  ground. 
When  this  occurs,  the  people  hold  him  in  the 
greatest  abhorrence.  They  judge  him  to  be  a 
great  criminal,  and  suppose  that  he  has  met  ;i 
violent  death  in  consequence  of  sins  which  he 
committed  in  a  former  birth. 

Not  long  since,  I  attended  one  of  these  hook- 
swingings,  not  far  from  the  city  of  Madura.      It 


ScudJer'i  TRlef.  6 


114      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

took  place  on  the  morning  of  June  8th,  1848, 
just  twenty-nine  years  after  I  first  left  America 
for  India.  It  should  have  taken  place  on  the 
preceding  afternoon ;  but  one  of  the  axle-trees 
of  the  car,  which  was  to  support  the  machine 
on  which  the  man  was  to  be  elevated  in  the 
air,  was  broken.  Nothing,  of  course,  could  be 
done  until  it  was  repaired.  The  carpenters 
and  others  worked  with  great  diligence  until 
about  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  when  every  thing- 
was  prepared  for  the  swinging.  I  expected 
immediately  after  this  to  witness  the  ceremony. 
It  however  did  not  take  place  until  the  morn- 
ing. "While  waiting  for  the  man  who  was 
to  be  swung  to  make  his  appearance,  I  took 
a  pencil  and  made  a  drawing  of  the  machine 
to  which  he  was  to  be  fastened.  The  picture 
on  the  first  page  of  the  book  will  give  you  some 
idea  of  it. 

You  have,  perhaps,  often  seen  a  well-sweep. 
The  long  beam  in  the  picture  is  swung  in  the 
same  manner  as  is  the  well-sweep,  with  a  single 
exception.  In  addition  to  its  usual  motion,  it 
is  made  to  turn  horizontally.  The  cuts  which 
you  may  have  seen,  in  two  or  three  of  my  little 
books,  differ  much  from  the  above ;  of  course 


SKLF   TORTUKE.  Ho 


different  machines  are  used  at  dillerent  times. 
There  are  stationary    swingings,  as   well    as 
swingings  of  the  kind  to  which  I  just  alluded. 
Between  six  and  seven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, the  man  who  was  to  be  swung  made  his 
appearance  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  disap- 
peared.    The  hooks  by  which  he  was  to   be 
swung,  as  well  as  the  iron  rods  with  which  a 
number  of  devotees  were  immediately  to  pierce 
their  sides,  were  carried  through  the  streets, 
and  held  up  that  they  might  be  seen  by  the 
people.     Soon  afterwards  the  man  again  ap- 
peared with  the  hooks  in  his  back,  and  went 
up  to  the  end  of  the  beam  to  which  he  was  to  be 
fastened.     This,  of  course,  was  lowered.     Not- 
withstanding the  dense  multitudes  of  people, 
I  made  my  way  to  the  same  spot,  determined 
to  be  satisfied  whether  or  not  there  was  any  de- 
ception in  the  application  of  the  hooks.     There 
was  no  deception.     They  passed  through  the 
skin,  on  the  sides  of  the  backbone.     To  these 
hooks  were  attached  yellow  ropes,  by  which  he 
was  fastened  to  the  beam,  as  you  will  perceive 
in  the  picture.     This  being  done,  the  men,  five 
or  six  in  number,  who  had  hold  of  the  ropes 
fastened  to  the  end  of  the  beam  which  you  see 


110       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

resting  on  the  ground,  and  which  was  then,  of 
course,  high  in  the  air,  drew  him  up  until  the 
beam  lay  horizontally.  Then,  after  making 
him  perform  one  circular  motion  around  the 
car,  they  elevated  him,  as  you  see  in  the  picture. 
When  thus  elevated,  it  was  thought  that  he  was 
forty  feet  from  the  ground.  All  being  ready, 
the  people  seized  the  ropes  which  you  see  in 
front  of  the  car,  and  began  to  draw  it.  Mr. 
Chandler  and  myself  accompanied  it  through 
the  streets,  until  it  came  to  the  place  from 
which  it  set  out.  The  distance  of  ground 
passed  over  w^as  at  least  half  a  mile,  and  the 
time  in  which  the  journey  was  accomplished 
exceeded  an  hour.  Of  course  he  was  swinging 
more  than  an  hour.  As  the  car  passed  through 
the  streets,  the  people  threw  plantains  from  the 
tops  of  the  houses  to  the  crowds  below. 

The  man  who  was  swung  was  adorned  with 
flowers  and  other  ornaments.  He  had  a  tinsel- 
led turban  on  his  head.  His  body  was  rubbed 
over  with  a  yellow  paste,  made,  most  probably, 
from  the  sandal- wood.  Around  his  ankles  were 
rings,  hung  with  little  bells,  which  he  made  to 
tinkle,  as  he  was  swinging,  by  striking  his  legs 
together.     He  wore  a  dark  or  black   pair   of 


SELF-TORTURC. 


117 


pantaloons,  which  came  a  little  below  the  knees, 
and  which  had  a  border  of  gold  around  them. 
He  held  a  handkerchief  in  one  hand,  and  a  knife 
somewhat  resembling  a  dagger,  in  the  other. 
These  he  kept  in  constant  motion,  by  moving 
his  arms.  On  one  occasion,  a  bunch  of  plan- 
tains was  tied  to  one  of  the  long  ropes  which 
vou  see  hanging  down  by  the  side  of  the  swing- 
er. These  he  drew  up,  and  afterwards  scatter- 
ed over  the  neople  on  a  house  opposite  to  him. 

After  following  the 
car  for  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  or  more,  we 
went  before  it,  and 
there  witnessed  an- 
otiicr  appalling  sight 
There  were  five  or 
six  men,  who  had  the 
rods  of  iron  which  I 
just  mentioned  pass- 
ed through  the  skin 
of  their  sides.  They 
were  dancing  along, 
and,  as  they  danced, 
they  made  these  rods  go  backward  and  forward 
throusfh  the  skin. 

o 


118       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

After  the  car  had  reached  the  place  from 
which  it  set  out,  the  end  of  the  beam  from 
which  the  man  was  swinging  was  then  lower- 
ed, and  he  was  untied.  Again  I  looked  very 
carefully  at  the  hooks  in  the  back.  The  people 
say  that  no  blood  is  shed  by  their  introduction, 
and  consider  this  to  be  a  miracle.  The  falsity 
of  this  assertion  was  shown  by  the  blood  which 
I  saw  on  the  side  of  one  of  the  wounds. 

I  have  been  long  in  this  country,  and  con- 
sequently have  become  so  familiarized  with 
heathenism,  that  my  feelings,  though  deeply 
wounded  at  this  sight,  w^ere  not  so  keenly  af- 
fected as  were  those  of  my  new  associate,  Mr. 
Chandler.  He  has  been  on  heathen  ground 
but  a  short  time.  When  they  tied  the  man  to 
the  beam,  ho  was  unnerved  and  wellnigh  over- 
come ;  and  he  told  me,  that  during  all  the  time 
he  was  folloY>^ing  the  car,  he  felt  like  shedding 
tears. 

While  following  the  car,  the  young  men  of 
America  came  into  my  mind.  They  refuse  to 
come,  said  I,  to  help  these  miserable  creatures. 
0,  they  will  not  come — they  will  not  come.  I 
thought,  that  if  many  of  the  dear  children  of 
that  land — children  to  whom  I  lately  preached, 


SELF-TORTURE.  119 

as  well  as  others,  could  witness  this  poor  crea- 
ture swinging  from  the  end  of  a  long  beam, 
far  above  the  tops  of  the  trees,  and  that,  too, 
by  hooks  passing  through  the  tender  parts  of 
his  back,  they  would  say,  w^e  wall,  by  and 
by,  become  missionaries,  and,  by  the  help  of 
God,  proclaim  to  the  heathen  that  there  is  a 
Saviour. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  the 
swinging  takes  place,  another  act  of  great  cru- 
elty is  practised.  Devotees  throw  themselves 
from  the  top  of  a  high  wall,  or  a  scaffold  of 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  height,  upon  a  bed  of 
iron  spikes,  or  on  bags  of  straw  with  knives 
in  them.  Many  are  often  mangled  and  torn. 
Others  are  quickly  killed. 

At  night,  many  of  the  devotees  sit  down  in 
the  open  air,  and  pierce  the  skin  of  their  fore- 
heads, by  inserting  a  small  rod  of  iron.  To  this 
is  suspended  a  lamp,  which  is  kept  burning  till 
daylight. 

Sometimes  bundles  of  thorns  are  collected 
before  the  temple,  among  which  the  devotees 
roll  themselves  without  any  covering.  These 
thorns  are  then  set  on  fire,  when  they  briskly 
dance  over  the  flames. 


120 


TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN 


Other  devotees  swing  before  a  slow  fire; 
some  stand  between  two  fires,  as  you  see  iu 
this  picture. 


Some  have  their  breasts,  arms,  and  other 
parts  stuck  entirely  fall  of  pins,  about  the  thick- 
ness of  small  nails,  or  packing  needles. 

Another  very  cruel  torture  is  practised. 
Some  of  the  devotees  make  a  vow.     With  one 


SELF-TORTURE.  12] 

hand  they  cover  their  under  lip  with  wet  earth 
or  mud.  On  this,  with  the  other  liand,  they 
place  some  small  grains,  usually  of  mustard- 
seed.  They  then  stretch  themselves  flat  on 
their  backs,  exposed  to  the  dews  of  night,  and 
the  blazing  and  scorching  sun  by  day^  Their 
vow  is,  that  from  this  position  they  will  not 
stir,  that  they  will  not  move  nor  turn,  nor  eat 
nor  drink,  till  the  seeds  planted  on  their  lips 
begin  to  sprout.  This  usually  takes  place  on 
the  third  or  fourth  day.  After  this  they  arise, 
and  then  think  that  they  are  very  holy. 

There  is  a  class  of  devotees  in  this  country 
called  Yogis,  whose  object  it  is  to  root  out  every 
human  feeling.  Some  live  in  holes  and  caves. 
Some  drag  around  a  heavy  chain  attached  to 
them.  Some  make  the  circuit  of  an  empire, 
creeping  on  their  hands  and  knees.  Some  roll 
their  bodies  from  the  shores  of  the  Indus  to  the 
Ganges. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Heyer,  in  one  of  his  letters 
from  India,  says,  that  an  Indian  devotee  has 
^rent  more  than  nine  years  on  a  journey  from 
Benares  to  Cape  Comorin,  that  is,  from  the  27th 
to  the  7th  degree  of  north  latitude.  The  whole 
journey  is  made  by  rolling  on  the  bare  ground, 


122 


TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 


from  side  to  side.  "When  he  comes  to  a  river, 
of  course  he  cannot  roll  over  it.  He  therefore 
fords  it,  or  passes  over  it  in  a  boat,  and  then 
rolls  on  the  banks  of  the  river  just  as  far  as  the 
river  is  wide.  By  doing  this,  he  supposes  that 
his  determination  to  roll  all  the  way  is  fully 
carried  out. 


Some  devotees  hold  up  one  or  both  arms, 
until  the  muscles  become  rigid,  and  their 
limbs  become  shrivelled  into  stumps.  In  the 
above  cut,  you  have  a  representation  of  a  man 
with  one  of  these  slirivelled  arms.     See  how 


SELF-TORTURE. 


123 


/one:  liis  fin^er-naily  have  c^rown.     One  has  run 

DO  O 

tlirongh  his  hand 
and  back  through 
his  arm.  Some 
stretch  them- 
selves on  beds 
of  iron  s])ikes 
Some  wear  great  square  irons  on  their  necks. 

I   have    seen   not  only   a 

^oGi      u^an,  but  a  woman,  with 

,^>aT    these  great  square  irons 

^S^t   around  their  necks,  each 

^  Br  I 

\]^  nearly  two  feet  in  length 
and  two  feet  in  breadth 
These  they  put  on  for  the 
purpose  of  fulfilling  some 
vow  which  they  have 
made.  For  instance,  if 
a  mother  has  a  very  sick 
little  boy,  she  will  say, 
"  Now,  vSwammie,  if  you 
will  cure  my  little  boy, 
I  will  have  a  square  iron 
put  on  my  neck,  and  wear 
it  all  my  life."  After  this  vow  is  madf ,  if  the 
little  boy  gets  well,  the  mother  thinks  ^hnt  her 


■-^^'i 


124  TALES   ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

Swammie  has  cured  him,  and  to  fulfil  her  en- 
gagement, she  will  have  one  of  these  irons  put 
on  her  neck. 

Other  devotees  throw  themselves  from  the 
tops  of  precipices,  and  are  dashed  to  pieces; 
some  bury  themselves  alive  in  holes,  which 
their  own  relatives  have  dug ;  some  bind  them- 
selves with  ropes  or  chains  to  trees,  until  they 
die ;  some  keep  gazing  so  long  and  so  con- 
stantly at  the  heavens,  that  the  muscles  of 
their  neck  become  contracted,  and  no  aliment 
but  liquids  can  pass  into  the  stomach. 

But  I  will  not  continue  this  subject.  You 
perceive,  my  dear  children,  what  a  wretched 
religion  that  must  be  which  encourasfes  its 
followers  to  perform  such  acts.  And  how  vain 
are  all  these  acts — how  utterly  destitute  are 
they  of  any  merit.  Those  who  practise  them 
are  not  made  better  by  them,  and  they  are 
just  as  far  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven  after 
having  performed  them,  as  they  were  before. 
The  Christian  religion  encourages  no  such 
things.  It  tells  us  to  perform  no  pilgrimages 
to  holy  places,  to  inflict  no  self-tortures.  But 
it  has  its  requirements,  and  these  are  very 
simple,  and   may  easily  be  performed  by  all 


SELF -TORTl'RK.  12.') 

who  are  willing  to  do  their  duty.  These  re- 
quirements are,  repentance,  forsaking  sin,  faith 
in  Christ,  and  a  supreme  devotedness  to  his 
service.  Have  you,  my  dear  children,  attended 
to  tliese  requirements  ?  If  not,  you  are  in  a 
much  worse  condition  than  these  poor  heathen 
of  whom  you  have  been  reading.  They  are 
not  as  guilty  before  God  as  you  are.  They 
know  not  their  Master's  will.  .Still,  they  must 
perish,  unless  the  Gospel  is  sent  to  them.  But 
though  they  perish,  their  punishment  will  be 
lighter  than  the  punishment  of  those  who  re- 
fuse to  love  and  obey  the  Saviour.  That  ser- 
vant who  knows  his  Lord's  will,  and  prepares 
not  himself,  neither  does  according  to  his  will, 
shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes.  But  he 
that  knows  not,  and  does  commit  things  worthy 
of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes. 
Should  it  be  your  sad  lot  to  perish  at  last,  it 
would  be  far  better  for  you  to  go  down  to  hell 
enveloped  in  all  the  darkness  of  a  heathen 
land,  than  to  go  down  to  hell  from  a  land  of 
such  gospel  light  and  privileges  as  you  enjoy. 


128      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  SUTTEB^  OR  BURNING  OF  WIDOWS. 

My  dear  Children — From  what  I  have  al- 
ready told  you,  you  know  that  the  Hindoos  are 
a  cruel  people.  But  I  have  not  told  you  of  the 
extent  to  which  they  carry  their  cruelty.  Per- 
haps it  is  shown  to  the  highest  degree  in  their 
practice  of  the  suttee,  or  burning  of  widows. 
The  British  have  abolished  this  rite  throughout 
their  dominions  in  India.  They  have  also 
made  great  exertions  to  have  it  abolished  in 
the  territories  of  the  native  princes,  but  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  that  in  some  of  these  territories 
it  is  still  practised.  Within  the  last  three 
years,  twenty- three  of  the  princes  just  alluded 
to,  have  issued  orders  for  its  abolishment 
throughout  their  dominions.  These  orders 
have  probably  been  issued  solely  in  conse- 
quence of  their  fear  of  the  British  power,  for 
it  is  a  practice  which  is  riveted  in  the  affec- 
tions of  the  people.  This  power  they  know 
that  it  will  be  dangeroLis  to  resist. 

In  my  "  Sermon  to  Children,  on  the  Condi- 
tion of  the  Heathen,"  I  mentioned,  that  the 


BURNING    OF   WIDOWS.  127 

sacred  books  of  the'  heathen    encourage   the 
suttee.     I  also  mentioned  several  instances,  in 
which  widows  had  been  burned  to  death  with 
the  corpses  of  their  husbands.     Even  though 
you  may  have  seen  that  book,  it  will  be  well 
for  me  to  give  you  two  or  three  other  cases,  to 
impress  your  minds  more  fully  with  the  hor- 
rors of  the  Hindoo  religion.     The  first  took 
place   in   a  village  of  Tanjore.     A  merchant 
having  died,  his  wife,  who  was  about  thirty 
years  old,  determined  to  burn  herself  with  his 
corpse.     The  news  of  what  she  was  going  to 
do,  quickly  spread  in  every  direction,  and  large 
numbers  of  people    collected  to  witness  the 
burning.     After  she  was  adorned  with  jew- 
els, and  dressed  in  her  best  clothing,  and  after 
her  body  was  tinged  with  the  yellow  infusion 
of  sandal-wood  and  saftron,  bearers  arrived  to 
take  away  the  corpse  with  the  wretched  wo- 
man.    The  body  of  the  man  was  placed  on  a 
car,  ornamented  with  costly  stuffs,  flowers,  etc. 
There  he  was  seated  like  a  living  man,  ele- 
gantly  decorated    with    all    his   jewels,    and 
clothed  in  rich  attire. 

The  corpse  being  carried  first,  the  wife  fol- 
lowed in  a  rich  palanquin.    As  she  went  along. 


128      TALES  ABUUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

the  surrounding  multitudes  of  people  stretched 
out  their  hands  towards  her  to  show  how  much 
they  admired  her  conduct.  The  women  in 
particular  went  up  to  her  to  wish  her  joy,  ap- 
parently desiring  to  receive  her  blessing,  or  at 
least,  that  she  would  pronounce  over  them 
some  pleasing  word.  She  tried  to  satisfy  them 
all,  saying  to  one,  that  she  would  long  continue 
to  enjoy  her  worldly  happiness,  and  to  another, 
that  she  would  be  the  mother  of  many  beauti- 
ful children.  Another  was  informed,  that  she 
would  soon  arrive  at  great  honor  in  the  world. 
These,  and  similar  expressions,  she  made  to 
all  who  came  near  her,  and  they  departed  with 
the  full  belief  that  they  would  enjoy  all  the 
blessings  of  which  she  had  spoken.  She  also 
distributed  among  them  some  betel-leaves, 
which  they  gladly  received  as  relics,  or  some- 
thinsf  of  blessed  influence. 

During  the  whole  procession,  which  was 
very  long,  her  countenance  was  serene  and 
even  cheerful,  until  they  came  to  the  pile  upon 
which  she  was  to  die.  Then  she  suddenly  be- 
came pensive.  She  no  longer  attended  to  what 
was  passing  around  her.  Her  looks  were  wildly 
fixed  upon  the  pile.    Her  face  grew  pale.     She 


KIRNINC    OF    WinoWP.  129 

trembled  with  fear,  and  seemed  ready  to  faint 
away. 

The  Brahmins,  wlio  took  the  lead  in  tliis 
ceremony,  witli  her  relations,  seeing  her  sad 
condition,  ran  to  her,  and  endeavored  to  restore 
her  spirits,  but  she  seemed  not  to  know  what 
they  said,  and  answered  not  a  word. 

They  made  her  quit  the  palanquin,  and  her 
nearest  relatives  took  her  to  a  pond  of  water 
which  was  near  the  pile,  where  they  washed 
her.  They  then  attended  her  to  the  pile,  on 
which  the  corpse  of  her  husband  had  already 
been  laid.  It  was  surrounded  with  Brahmins, 
each  with  a  lighted  torch  in  one  hand,  and  a 
bowl  of  melted  butter  in  the  otlier,  all  ready, 
as  soon  as  the  poor  victim  was  placed  on  the 
pile,  to  envelope  her  in  fire. 

The  relatives  armed  with  muskets,  sabres, 
and  other  weapons,  stood  closely  around  in  a 
double  line,  for  the  purpose,  it  was  said,  of 
makinj?  her  afraid,  if  she  mis^ht  wish  to  draw 
back,  or  of  frightening  any  body  who  might 
pity  her,  and  endeavor  to  rescue  her. 

At  length  the  time  for  firing  the  pile  being 
proclaimed,  the  young  widow  was  stripped  of 
her  jewels,  and  led  on  towards  the  pile.     She 

Scuiid<*r's  Talri.  9 


130      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

was  then  commanded  to  walk  three  times 
around  it,  two  of  her  nearest  relations  support- 
ing her  by  the  arms.  The  first  round  she 
accomplished  with  tottering  steps  ;  but  in  the 
second,  her  strength  forsook  her,  and  she  faint- 
ed away  in  the  arms  of  those  who  were  holding 
her.  They  were  obliged  to  drag  her  between 
them  for  the  third  round.  Then  senseless,  she 
was  thrown  upon  the  corpse  of  her  husband. 
At  that  instant,  the  multitude  made  the  air  to 
ring  with  their  shouts  of  gladness,  while  the 
Brahmins  poured  the  butter  on  the  dry  wood, 
and  applied  the  torches.  Instantly  the  whole 
pile  was  in  a  blaze. 

As  soon  as  the  flames  began  to  rage,  the 
poor  woman,  now  in  the  midst  of  them,  was 
called  upon  by  name,  from  all  sides ;  but  as 
insensible  as  the  corpse  on  which  she  lay,  she 
made  no  answer.  She  entered  eternity,  suffo- 
cated at  once,  most  probably,  by  the  flames. 

The  second  case  of  suttee  which  I  shall  men- 
tion, took  place  at  the  death  of  the  rajah,  or 
king  of  Tanjore.  He  left  behind  him  four 
wives. 

The  Brahmins  havinsf  determined  that  two 
of  these  four  should  be  burned  with  the  corpse 


IIURNIN*;    OF    WIDOWS.  131 

of  their  husband,  and  having  ^elected  the  two 
whom  they  tliought  best  to  sacrifice,  they  told 
them  of  what  awaited  them.  They  received 
the  information  with  apparent  joy.  A  refusal 
would  have  been  attended  with  their  utter  dis- 
grace. 

One  day  only  was  necessary  to  get  ready  for 
the  funeral  ceremonies.  They  were  conducted 
as  follows :  In  a  field  somewhat  distant  from 
tlie  palace,  the  people  made  a  hollow,  not  very 
deep,  but  about  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  square. 
Within  it  they  made  a  pyramid  of  the  sweet- 
smelling  sandal-wood.  On  the  middle  of  the 
pyramid,  a  scaffold  was  built  in  such  a  man- 
ner that  the  posts  could  easily  be  taken  away, 
by  which  means  the  scaffold  would  fall  at  once. 
On  the  four  corners  of  the  platform,  large  jars 
were  placed,  filled  with  melted  butter,  to  be- 
smear the  pyramid,  that  it  might  be  the  more 
easily  set  on  fire. 

The  following  was  the  order  of  the  proces- 
sion. It  was  headed  by  a  great  number  of  sol- 
diers under  arms.  They  were  followed  by  a 
multitude  of  musicians,  chiefly  trumpeters, 
who  made  the  air  reecho  with  their  melancholy 
sounds.     Next  came  the  body  of  the  king  upon 


132      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

a  splendid  palanquin,  richly  adorned.  This 
was  surrounded  by  the  nearest  relations,  and 
by  the  priest  of  the  king.  They  were  all  on 
foot,  and  without  their  turbans  in  token  of 
mourning.  A  large  party  of  Brahmins  formed 
around  them  as  an  immediate  escort.  The 
two  wives  who  were  to  be  burned  with  the 
corpse  came  next,  each  borne  on  a  palanquin. 
During  the  journey  they  appeared  calm  and 
cheerful.  The  troops  kept  off  the  immense 
crowds  who  were  assembled  from  every  direc- 
tion. 

The  two  queens,  loaded  with  jewels,  were 
attended  by  their  favorite  women,  with  whom 
they  occasionally  conversed,  and  by  their  rela- 
tions of  both  sexes.  To  many  of  these  they 
had  made  presents  before  leaving  the  palace. 
They  were  also  accompanied  by  thousands  of 
Brahmins,  collected  from  different  quarters. 
These  were  followed  by  an  innumerable  mul- 
titude of  persons  of  both  sexes.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  ground  where  they  were  to  be 
burned,  the  two  victims  were  made  to  descend 
from  their  palanquins,  for  the  purpose  of  per- 
forming the  preparatory  ceremonies.  They 
went  through  the  whole  without  showing  any 


BURNING    OF   WlLlOW:?.  133 

fear  until  towards  the  close,  when  their  coun- 
tenances began  to  change,  and  their  three  cir- 
cuits around  the  pile  were  not  performed  with- 
out considerable  effort  to  maintain  calmness. 

In  the  meantime,  the  body  of  the  king  had 
been  placed  on  the  scaffold  over  the  platform. 
The  two  queens  were  also  laid  down  beside  the 
corpse,  one  on  the  right  hand,  and  the  other  on 
the  left,  and  they  joined  hands  by  stretching 
them  over  the  body.  The  astrologer  having 
then  declared  that  the  happy  moment  was 
come  for  firing  the  pile,  the  Brahmins  repeated 
several  prayers  in  a  loud  voice,  and  sprinkled 
the  pile  with  holy  water.  When  these  cere- 
monies were  finished,  a  signal  was  given,  and 
the  pillars  which  supported  the  pyramid  and 
the  scaffold  were  suddenly  taken  away.  Im- 
mediately the  women  were  covered  with  the 
falling  mass  of  timber,  which  tumbled  over 
them  with  a  crash.  At  the  same  instant  the 
pile  was  fired  in  all  its  parts.  On  one  side, 
the  nearest  relative  of  the  king  applied  his 
torch,  and  on  the  other  side,  the  priest ;  while 
the  Brahmins,  in  every  quarter,  were  pouring 
jars  of  melted  butter  on  the  flames,  creating 
so  intense  a  heat  as  must  instantly  have  con- 


134      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

sumed  the  victims.  Then  the  multitude  shout- 
ed for  joy,  and  the  relations  approaching  the 
pile  also  set  up  a  loud  cry,  calling  them  by 
their  names.  They  supposed  that  they  heard 
a  voice  in  answer  pronouncing  Enna  ?  that  is, 
What?  but  the  fall  of  the  platform,  and  the 
immediate  bursting  out  of  the  flames,  must 
have  stifled  them  at  once. 

Such  was  the  miserable  end  of  these  poor 
unhappy  queens — unhappy  victims  of  the  most 
cruel  religion  that  ever  disgraced  the  earth. 

Not  unfrequently  the  sons  take  a  prominent 
part  in  destroying  their  mothers.  This  will 
appear  from  the  following  case.  A  Brahmin 
died,  and  was  brought  to  the  place  of  burning. 
His  wife  was  fastened  to  the  pile,  and  the  fire 
was  kindled,  but  the  night  was  dark  and  rainy. 
When  the  fire  began  to  scorch  the  poor  woman, 
she  contrived  to  disentangle  herself  from  the 
dead  body,  and  creeping  from  under  the  pile, 
hid  herself  among  some  brushwood.  In  a  little 
time  it  was  discovered  that  there  was  but  one 
body  on  the  pile.  The  relations  immediately 
took  the  alarm,  and  searched  for  the  poor  crea- 
ture. The  son  soon  dragged  her  forth,  and  in- 
sisted that  she  should  throw  herself  on  the  pile 


RURM.NC;    OF    WIDOWS 


135 


-■#aa»iv«'T=- 


again,  or  dr<nMi  in-  linirj^  iifi>rii.  ^ne  pleaded 
for  her  life  at  the  hands  of  her  own  son,  and 
declared  that  she  could  not  embrace  so  horrid 
a  death  ;  but  she  pleaded  in  vain.  He  urged, 
that  he  should  lose  his  caste  if  she  were  spared, 
and  added,  that  either  he  or  she  must  die.  Un- 
able to  persuade  her  to  hang  or  drown  herself, 
the  son  and  the  others  present  tied  her  hands 
and  feet,  and  threw  her  on  the  funeral  pile, 
Avhere  she  quickly  perished. 

I  observed  that  the  rite  of  suttee  is  riveted 
in  the  affections  of  this  people.     The  following 


136      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

communications  from  two  of  the  native  princes 
who  lately  consented  to  put  a  stop  to  this  rite, 
will  show  you  that  this  is  the  case.  The  rajah 
of  Oorcha  declares,  that  "no  subject  of  his  state 
shall  in  future  be  permitted  to  become  a  sut- 
tee, though  according  to  the  Shasters,  it  is  no 
doubt  very  meritorious  for  a  widow  to  die  of 
grief  for  the  death  of  her  husband."  The  rajah 
of  Sumpthem  says,  "  The  practice  of  suttee  is 
so  very  old,  and  has  been  countenanced  and 
encouraged  by  the  wise  men  of  so  many  gener- 
ations, that  I  have  never  thought  myself  justi- 
fied in  interposing  to  prevent  it ;  but  my  anx- 
iety to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  governor-general 
in  this  and  in  all  things,  is  so  great,  that  I 
have  waived  all  other  considerations,  and  for- 
bidden suttee." 

If  the  British  were  to  lose  their  power  in 
India,  the  suttee  would  immediately  be  rees- 
tablished. Power  has  put  it  down,  but  power 
alone  will  never  root  it  out  of  the  affections  of 
the  people.  Nothing  but  the  Gospel  can  do 
this.  0  that  Christians  would  think  of  this, 
and  hasten,  yea,  with  great  haste,  to  send  this 
blessed  Gospel  to  them. 


THE    KHONDS  137 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

HORRID    CRUELTIES    OF    THE    KHONDS. 

My  dear  Children— You  have  been  mucli 
pained  by  reading  the  account  of  the  suttee,  or 
burning  of  widows,  as  described  in  the  last 
chapter     It  would  be  very  pleasant  to  my  feel- 
ings, as  you  may  well  suppose,  could  I  inform 
you  that  my  tales  of  the  misery  of  this  people 
are  at  an  end;  but  I  must  tell  you  of  scenes 
even,  if  possible,  more  shocking.     At  a  place 
called  Goomsoor,  not  far  from  the  great  tem- 
ple of  Juggernaut,  there  is  a  race  of  people 
called  Khonds,  who  offer  up  human  sacrifices 
in  a  very  horrid  manner.     Their  victims  are 
generally  bought  or  stolen  from  the  low  coun- 
try, and  sold  to  them  for  this  purpose. 

'l  will  mention  one  or  two  of  the  ways  in 
which  these  sacrifices  are  performed,  though  1 
should  be  glad  to  tell  you  nothing  about  them, 
as  they  are  so  cruel.  But  I  must  tell  you  ;  for 
if  I  do  not,  you  can  never  know  how  to  pity 
these  poor  creatures,  and  pray  and  labor  for 
them  as  you  should  do. 

When  the  day  which  has  been  appointed  for 


138 


TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN. 


the  sacrifice  arrives,  the  Khonds  assemble  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  dressed  in  their  finery ; 
some  with  bear-skins  thrown  over  their  shoul- 
ders, others  with  the  tails  of  peacocks  flowing 
behind  them,  and  the  long  winding  feather  of 
the  jungle-cock  waving  over  their  heads.  Thus 
decked,  they  dance,  leap,  rejoice,  beat  drums, 


and  play  on  an  instrument  not  unlike  in  sound 
to  the  Highland  pipe.  In  the  afternoon  the 
priest,  with  the  aid  of  an  assistant,  proceeds  to 
fasten  the  victim  for  sacrifice — either  a  man 


THE    KHONDS.  139 

or  a  woman,  or  a  boy  or  a  girl — to  a  post  which 
has  been  firmly  fixed  in  the  ground.  Near  this 
post  stand  a  crowd  of  the  savage  Khonds,  witli 
knives  in  their  hands.  At  an  appointed  signal, 
they  rush  upon  the  poor  creature,  and  try  who 
can  cut  the  first  piece  of  flesh  from  his  bones. 
G-reat  value  is  attached  to  the  first  morsel 
which  is  thus  cut  out,  as  it  is  supposed  to  pos- 
sess peculiar  virtues.  This  is  buried  in  the 
earth  before  sunset. 

In  Guddapoor,  a  different  sacrifice  precedes 
this.  A  trench  seven  feet  long  is  dug,  over 
which  a  human  being  is  suspended  alive,  by 
the  neck  and  feet,  which  are  fastened  with  ropes 
to  stakes  firmly  fixed  in  the  ground,  at  each 
end  of  the  excavation ;  so  that  to  prevent  stran- 
gulation, he  is  compelled  to  support  himself 
with  his  hands  over  each  side  of  his  "rave. 
The  presiding  priest,  after  the  performance  of 
various  ceremonies  in  honor  of  the  goddess, 
takes  an  axe  and  inflicts  six  cuts,  at  equal  dis- 
tances from  the  feet  to  the  back  of  tlie  neck, 
repeating  the  numbers  one,  two,  three,  and  so 
forth,  as  he  proceeds,  rondi,  rendi,  munjee^ 
iialge,  chins^'i,  sajg-i,  and  at  the  seventh,  arg-i, 
cuts  oft'  his  head.     The  body  falls  into  the  pit. 


140  TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN 

and  is  covered  with  earth.  There  are  other 
districts  where  these  sacrifices  are  performed 
in  a  different  manner.  Some  destroy  the  vic- 
tims by  heavy  blows  from  the  metal  bangles, 
which  they  purchase  at  the  fairs  and  wear  on 
these  occasions.  If  the  poor  creature  is  not 
killed  by  two  or  three  of  these  heavy  blows 
inflicted  on  his  head,  they  strangle  him  with 
a  cleft  bamboo,  which  they  slip  over  his  neck. 
Others  destroy  their  victims  by  placing  thetn 
on  the  ground,  bound  hand  and  feet,  with  their 
faces  downward,  and  by  throwing  large  stones 
violently  on  the  back  of  their  necks,  until  life 
becomes  extinct.  In  Patna,  the  people  do  not 
use  much  of  the  flesh  of  their  victims — fre- 
quently none  at  all.  In  some  districts  they  cut 
out  the  liver — in  others  the  lungs,  and  after 
chopping  them  up  in  small  pieces,  bury  them. 
It  is  customary,  among  some  tribes,  to  draw  a 
cup  full  of  blood  from  the  body,  and  each  fam- 
ily takes  a  little  of  it,  and  sprinkles  it  on  the 
floor  of  their  houses.  While  doing  this,  they 
implore  blessings  on  their  households  and  on 
their  fields. 

I  have  already  mentioned,  that  the  victims 
whom  the  Khonds  sacrifice  are  generally  bought 


THE    KHONDS.  141 

or  stolen  from  the  low  country,  and  are  sold  to 
them.  Had  yon,  my  dear  children,  been  horn 
in  that  part  of  India,  some  of  yon  might  have 
been  thus  bought,  or  stolen  from  your  parents, 
and  sold  to  this  wretched  people  to  be  sacrificed. 

Several  years  ago,  child-stealing  was  a  very 
frequent  thing  in  Madras,  the  great  city  where 
I  now  live.  ]\[any  parents  were  desolate  from 
having  lost  their  children.  Possibly  these  chil- 
dren were  taken  to  Goomsoor  to  be  sacrificed. 

It  was  not  until  the  military  operations  of 
the  British  took  place  in  Upper  and  Lower 
Groomsoor,  in  1836  and  1837,  that  this  cruel 
rite  of  immolating  hnman  beings,  among  the 
neighboring  hill-tribes,  was  brought  to  light; 
and  it  was  not  until  that  time  that  the  first 
victims  destined  for  sacrifice  were  rescued  from 
them.  Captain  Millar  was  the  honored  instru- 
ment in  rescuing  these  victims,  twelve  in  num- 
ber ;  and  his  services  were  acknowledged  in  the 
following  manner  by  the  Madras  government. 

"  Captain  Millar  will  realize  in  his  own  mind 
an  ample  reward  for  his  most  commendable 
conduct,  in  having  rescued  twelve  victims  des- 
tined for  these  horrible  sacrifices,  as  the  grat- 
ifying reflection  of  having  been  the  means  of 


142  TALES   ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN. 

saving  so  many  human  beings  from  a  cruel 
and  untimely  death  cannot  fail,  at  all  times, 
to  he  a  source  of  genuine  happiness  to  him. 
The  discretion,  however,  with  which  he  con- 
tinued to  effect  his  humane  purpose,  is  entitled 
to  the  warmest  and  most  unqualified  approba- 
tion of  government." 

In  the  year  1838,  Captain  Campbell  rescued 
a  much  lai'ger  number  of  these  victims.  He 
writes,  "I have  been  most  fortunate  in  my  late 
expedition  among  the  wild  Khonds  of  Groom- 
soor,  and  have  rescued  no  less  than  one  hun- 
dred and  three  children  of  various  ages,  who 
were  intended  for  sacrifice  by  these  barbarians. 
These  children  are  now  at  head-quarters,  and 
form  a  most  interesting  group,  happy,  such  of 
them  as  were  aware  of  their  situation,  in  hav- 
ing escaped  the  fate  which  awaited  them." 

I  am  acquainted  with  Captain  MacYiccar, 
a  very  good  man,  who  has  been  one  of  the 
British  agents  ''for  the  suppression  of  human 
sacrifices  and  female  infanticide  in  the  hill- 
tracts  of  Orissa."  His  constitution  has  been 
brolcen  down  by  his  labors  on  these  unhealthy 
hills.  He  is  now  on  his  way  to  England,  for 
the  purpose  of  recruiting  his  health.     I  learned 


THE    KHOXDS.  143 

from  him  tliut  the  whole  number  of  victims 
who  have  been  rescued,  up  to  this  time,  from 
those  hill-tracts,  amounts  to  more  than  nine- 
teen hundred.  Of  them,  no  less  ihan  five  hun- 
dred were  rescued  by  himself  and  his  assistant 
Captain  Frye,  only  a  few  months  ago.  I  am 
now  writing  in  the  year  1851. 

After  the  arrival  of  the  British  troops  in  the 
Khond  country,  a  female  found  her  way  to  the 
collector's  camp  with  fetters  on  her  legs.  She 
had  escaped  from  those  who  had  charge  of  her, 
and  said  that  she  had  been  sold  by  her  own 
brother,  for  the  purpose  of  being  sacrificed. 

Thus  you  see,  my  dear  little  girls,  if  such 
are  now  my  readers,  that  if  you  had  been  born 
in  the  place  where  this  woman  was  born,  your 
own  brother  might  have  sold  you,  perhaps  for 
not  more  than  a  dollar,  to  have  the  flesh  cut 
from  your  bones  while  alive;  and  if  you  have 
never  given  your  hearts  to  Christ,  you  ought 
to  do  this  immediately,  from  gratitude  to  Him 
who  has  made  you  to  differ  from  these  besotted 
and  cruel  heathen. 

But  I  must  tell  you  of  another  individual 
who  escaped  from  the  Khonds.  His  name  is 
Jov  Sinir.     He  had  witnessed  one  of  their  sac- 


144  TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN. 

rifices.  He  had  seen  a  child  put  in  the  cleft 
of  a  small  tree,  which  had  been  split  for  this 
purpose.  He  had  seen  how  this  child  was  held 
fast  in  that  position,  by  the  split  parts  of  the 
tree  having  closed  upon  its  body ;  and  while  it 
was  thus  secured,  he  had  seen  the  flesh  cut 
from  its  bones.  You  will  not  therefore  wonder 
that  he  was  filled  with  horror  at  the  thought 
of  meeting  such  a  doom.  Neither  wdll  you 
wonder  at  his  determination  to  make  the  very 
last  possible  effort  to  free  himself  from  the 
hands  of  his  intended  murderers.  The  effort 
was  made;  but  it  was,  at  first,  unsuccessful. 
After  travelling  for  two  days  through  the  jun- 
gle, he  was  recaptured  by  his  owners,  and  put 
in  irons.  His  courage,  however,  did  not  fail. 
He  determined  to  make  another  attempt  to 
escape,  though  he  could  only  crawl  along,  in 
consequence  of  the  irons  on  his  legs.  Thus  fet- 
tered, he  travelled  for  two  days  and  two  nights, 
and  when  he  had  just  reached  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  he  again  espied  those  who  were  in 
pursuit  of  him.  Providentially,  Captain  Mil- 
lar, of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  had  en- 
camped near  the  place  where  he  was.  To  this 
encampment  he    hastened,   as  we   may  well 


THE    KirONDS.  145 

5;uppose,  with  all  the  speed  which  he  could 
command,  scarcely  daring  to  look  behind  him; 
and  happily  he  reached  it  in  safety.  On  his 
arrival,  he  endeavored  to  make  known  his  tale 
oT  woe  by  his  looks  and  his  tears;  and  these 
looks  and  tears  spoke  a  language  which  this 
oflicer  could  not  misunderstand.  His  irons 
were  taken  off.    He  was  once  more  free. 

Of  the  children  rescued  from  the  Khonds, 
many  have  been  sent  by  the  British  govern- 
ment to  the  schools  which  have  been  established 
by  the  missionaries  of  the  cross.  Connected 
with  a  station  where  a  very  dear  fellow-laborer 
of  mine — the  Rev.  ^Ir.  Wilkinson — resides,  a 
station  about  ten  miles  distant  from  the  first, 
range  of  mountains  inhabited  by  the  Khonds, 
there  are  two  schools,  one  for  the  boys  and  the 
other  for  the  girls  who  have  been  rescued  from 
this  wretched  people.  From  the  brother  just 
alluded  to,  I  learned  the  following  interesting 
fact.  A  few  years  ago,  a  number  of  these 
rescued  victims  arrived  at  the  gate  of  the  mis- 
sion house,  on  their  way  to  the  sea-coast.  The 
children  of  the  schools  went  out  to  see  them. 
Belonging  to  the  female  school,  there  was  a 
little  girl  who  thought  that  she  recognized  her 

Saiiddw'i  Tales.  1  0 


14G 


TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN 


brother  among  the  strangers.  In  a  few  minutes 
she  was  seen  comins^  forward  leadino-  him  by 
the  hand,  and  was  heard  exclaiming  Avith  joy, 
"I  have  found  my  brother."  Mr.  Wilkinson 
said  to  her,  "How  do  you  know  that  he  is  your 
brother?  Perhaps  you  are  mistaken."  "  0  no, 
papa,"  said  she,  "  I  am  not  mistaken.  I  thought, 
when  I  saw  him  at  the  gate,  that  he  looked  just 
like  a  little  brother  I  had  when  I  was  taken 
from  my  home,  only  he  was  smaller.  So  I 
said  to  myself,  if  he  is  my  brother,  he  will 
know  his  own  name.     So  I  called  out.  Pod, 


TITF,    KHOXDR.  147 

Pod,  and  he  lifted  up  his  head  and  came  run- 
ning to  my  arms."  And  this  sister  wept  over 
her  little  brother,  and  kissed  him,  and  at  last, 
catching  him  up,  she  bore  him  away  to  her 
school-room. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Sutton  relates  the  case  of  two 
brothers,  Avho  met  under  similar  circumstan- 
ces. They  had  both  been  sold  at  different 
times  to  the  Khonds,  for  sacrifices,  by  their 
cruel  and  unnatural  uncle. 

Among  the  victims  formerly  rescued  from 
the  Khonds,  there  was  a  very  awkward  lad 
who  was  called  David.  G-reat  pains  were 
taken  to  instruct  him;  but  he  was  so  stupid 
that  all  their  efforts  appeared  to  be  useless. 
At  last  he  was  devoted  to  the  work  of  sweep- 
ing the  premises  of  the  mission  house.  "At 
this  time,"  says  Mr.  Sutton,  "our  school  was 
very  full,  and  many  of  the  young  natives  had 
been  converted.  All  at  once,  a  ray  of  intelli- 
gence seemed  to  break  upon  the  mind  of  poor 
David.  He  seemed  suddenly  to  be  possessed 
r)f  new  faculties.  All  were  astonished  at  his 
understanding  and  his  answers.  He  now  ap- 
plied himself  so  diligently,  and  was  profited 
so  much  by  the  instruction  afforded,  tliat  he 


148 


TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN. 


was  subsequently  received  into  our  church. 
Soon  afterwards,  he  was  taken  into  the  print- 
ing-office, and  as  he  made  rapid  advances  in 
his  new  business,  he  was  made  a  compositor. 
Wliile  thus  engaged,  and  amazing  us  all  by 
his  sudden  proficiency,  there  appeared  on  his 
skin  numerous  white  spots — the  first  indica- 
tions of  leprosy,  a  very  common,  and  also  a 
very  fatal  disease,  in  India.  We  sent  him  to 
the  hospital,  and  every  care  was  taken  of  him  ; 
but  each  of  the  white  spots  became  a  putrid 
ulcer,  and  his  limbs  were  much  eaten  away. 
Nothing  could  arrest  the  progress  of  his  mal- 
ady, or  save  his  life;  and  as  there  was  danger 


that    he    might   communicate    his  disease   to 
others  by  coming  in  contact  with  them,  the 


THE    Kllu.\D.<.  1-19 

doctor  directed  that  he  should  be  kept  by  him- 
self. A  tent  was  provided  for  him,  from  which 
he  would  creep  at  service-time  to  the  door  of 
our  meeting-room,  and  join  in  the  service.  A 
more  interested  listener  I  never  beheld.  One 
day,  I  went  with  my  wife  to  pay  him  a  visit. 
He  was  stretched  on  his  mat.  His  Testament 
was  close  to  his  side.  His  hymn-book  was  in 
his  hand,  and  we  saw  that  his  attention  had 
been  riveted  on  the  following  verses. 

••  Of  all  that  decks  the  field  or  bower, 
Thou  art  the  fairest,  sweetest  flower ; 
Then  blessed  Jesus,  let  not  me 
In  thy  kind  heart  forgotten  be. 

Day  after  day  youth's  joys  decay, 
Death  waits  to  seize  the  trembling  prey; 
Then,  blessed  Jesus,  let  not  me 
In  thy  kind  heart  forgotten  be. 

When  we  left  his  tent,  my  wife  said  to  me, 
with  great  emphasis  and  emotion,  'There  lies 
an  heir  of  glory;  for  though  like  Lazarus  lie 
is  full  of  sores,  like  Lazarus  also  he  is  rich  in 
assured  hope.'  I  could  not  but  concur  in  the 
remark. 

"Soon  after  this,  the  spirit  of  this  afflicted 
but  happy  youth  took  its  flight,  as  we  have 


150  TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN. 

every  reason  to  believe,  to  the  bosom  of  his 
Saviour — rescued  by  the  British  from  the  hands 
of  the  cruel  Khonds,  and  rescued  from  eternal 
torment  in  consequence  of  his  having  been  sold 
to  them  for  the  purpose  of  being  sacrificed.  How 
mysterious  are  the  ways  of  Providence." 

Should  it  be  the  sad  lot  of  any  of  you,  my 
dear  children,  not  to  reach  heaven  at  last,  what 
will  you  say  in  the  day  of  judgment,  when  you 
find  this  youth  among  the  company  of  the  re- 
deemed, but  yoarselves  among  the  company  of 
the  lost  ?  0,  that  word  lost — that  dreadful,  that 
dismal  word  lost!  "What  a  living  scorpion 
will  it  be  to  your  deathless  souls," /or  ever  I 

But  let  me  hope  for  better  things.  Let  me 
hope  that  you  are  not  to  be  lost.  If,  bow- 
ever,  I  am  to  entertain  such  a  hope,  there 
must  be  a  change  in  you  as  great  as  is  the 
chans^e  from  death  to  life — a  chans^e  from  sin 
to  holiness.  You  might  as  well  expect  to  go 
down  to  the  sea,  and  dwell  beneath  the  surface 
of  its  waters,  as  expect  to  go  to  heaven  in  your 
present  state,  if  unconverted.  You  must  be 
born  again,  or  you  cannot  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  God.  Christ,  who  is  now  to  you  as  a 
root  out  of  dry  ground,  and  in  whom  you  see 


THE    KllONDS.  151 

no  form  nor  comeliness,  must  become  the  su- 
preme object  of  your  desires.  Him  you  must 
esteem  as  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand,  and 
the  One  altos^ether  lovelv.  To  him  you  must 
make  an  entire  consecration  of  yourselves. 
Alas,  alas,  that  you  should  have  slighted  him 
so  long.  Alas,  that  v/hen  he  has  come  to  the 
door  of  your  hearts,  and  knocked  for  admis- 
sion, you  should  have  treated  him  as  you  have 
(lone — treated  him  with,  an  incivility  which  you 
would  not  use  to  a  passing  stranger.  You 
have,  in  effect,  said  to  him,  AVho  art  thou,  that 
we  should  obey  thee?  Thou  shalt  not  enter 
into  our  hearts,  nor  reign  there.  My  dear 
children,  I  long  to  see  this  rebellion  of  yours 
brought  to  an  end.  It  must  come  to  an  end. 
It  will  never  answer  for  you  to  continue  to 
Jishonor  and  grieve  and  wound  this  adorable 
Being,  as  you  have  done.  Only  think  of  his 
^.ove  to  perishing  sinners.  Think  of  what  he 
aad  to  undergo  and  suffer,  to  procure  their  sal- 
vation. Think  of  the  obstacles  he  had  to  meet 
with,  while  engaged  in  accomplishing  this  mo- 
mentous work.  God  the  Father  gave  him  up 
to  die;  earth  and  hell  were  against  him;  and 
even  the  very  sinners  whom  he  came  to  save 


152  TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN. 

were  against  him.  To  purchase  their  salva- 
tion, he  had  to  tread  his  weary  way  to  the 
tomb  with  no  one  to  accompany  him — to  tread 
it  through  tears  and  groans,  and  under  the  edge 
of  the  sword  of  divine  justice.  He  was  trod- 
den, as  it  were,  in  the  wine-press  of  the  fierce- 
ness of  the  wrath  of  Abnighty  (rod.  And  can 
you  think  of  this  love  of  his,  and  your  hearts 
not  be  melted?  Can  you  see  no  beauty  iu 
Jesus,  that  you  should  desire  him?  Are  your 
eyes  holden,  that  you  cannot  behold  his  all- 
attractive  charms? 

'■'•  0,  that  all  the  blind  but  knew  him. 
And  would  be  advised  by  rne ; 
Surely  they  would  hasten  to  him — 
He  would  cause  them  all  to  see." 

I  have  been  giving  you  a  description  of  the 
wretched  Khonds  of  Goomsoor.  Suppose  that 
you  were  among  them,  and  that  you  were  now 
in  the  same  condition  with  the  little  child  of 
which  I  have  told  you — the  little  child  which 
was  placed  in  the  cleft  of  a  split  tree,  for  the 
purpose  of  having  the  flesh  cut  from  its  bones ; 
and  suppose  that  the  good  man,  of  whose  name 
you  have  already  heard,  the  agent  of  the  Brit- 
ish government,  should  come  and  rescue  you 


THE    KilOXDS.  153 

from  such  a  fearfal  death  ;  would  you  not  love 
him  to  tlie  end  of  your  life?  Would  any 
thing  be  too  hard  for  you  to  do  for  such  a 
friend?  And  has  Jesus  come  down  from  heav- 
en to  save  sinners  from  being  cast  into  ever- 
lasting burnings;  and  is  he  stretching  out  his 
hand  and  entreating  you  to  grasp  it,  that  you 
may  be  saved  from  this  awful  doom;  and  will 
you  not  grasp  it,  and  be  saved?  And  will  you 
not  love  him,  and  love  him  mtich,  for  such  kind- 
ness— love  him  to  such  a  degree,  that  nothing 
will  be  too  hard  for  you  to  do  to  glorify  him? 
What,  not  love  that  Saviour  who  stands  ready 
to  save  you  from  eternal  death,  when  you 
would  love  one  of  your  fellow-men  for  saving 
you  from  temporal  death? 

'•  Behold  a  stranger  at  the  door, 
He  gently  knocks,  has  knocked  before, 
Has  waited  long,  is  waiting  still — 
You  treat  no  other  friend  so  ill. 

O.  lovely  attitude  !     He  stands 
With  melting  heart  and  loaded  hands; 
0,  matchless  kindness  !   and  he  shows 
This  matchless  kindness  to  his  foes. 

But  will  he  prove  a  friend  indeed  ? 
He  will,  the  very  friend  you  need ; 
The  Friend  of  sinners — yes,  'tis  he, 
With  garments  dyed  on  Calvary. 


154  TALES    ABOUT    THE    HEATHEN. 

Rise,  touched  with  gratitude  divine; 
Turn  out  his  enemy  and  thine. 
That  soul-destroying  monster,  sin, 
And  let  the  heavenly  stranger  in. 

Admit  him  ere  his  anger  burn — 
His  feet  departed,  ne'er  return : 
Admit  him.  or  the  hour  's  at  hand 
You  '11  at  his  door  rejected  stand." 


A    RliVENGEFUL    RELIGION'.  255 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  REVENGEFUL  NATURE  OF  THE  HINDOO  RELIGION. 

My  dear  Children — The  sacred  books  of  tlic 
Hindoos  encourage  revenge.  In  the  Vedas, 
which  are  the  most  sacred  books,  are  laid 
down  forms  of  religious  service,  or  acts  of 
worship,  which  are  designed  to  injure  or  de- 
stroy their  enemies.  When  a  person  wishes 
to  have  his  enemy  destroyed,  he  goes  to  a 
Brahmin  or  priest,  and  secures  his  supposed 
aid.  The  Brahmin,  before  he  proceeds  to 
his  work,  clothes  himself  with  a  black  gar- 
ment. He  also  makes  four  images  of  the  foe, 
and  clothes  these  with  black  garments.  He 
then  kindles  a  sacrificial  fire,  and  after  the 
performance  of  various  ceremonies,  he  takes 
pieces  of  some  animal  which  has  been  conse- 
crated for  the  purpose,  and  throws  them  into 
this  fire.  On  every  occasion  when  he  makes 
this  burnt-offering,  he  touches  the  mouth  of 
the  image  of  this  enemy,  uttering  one  or  other 
of  the  forms  of  prayer  which  are  written  in  the 
sacred  books.  Of  these,  the  following  are  a 
few :  "  0  Agni,"  god  of  fire,   "  thou  who  art 


156  TALES  ABOUT   THE   HEATHEx\. 

the  mouth  of  all  gods,  do  thou  destroy  the  wis- 
dom of  my  enemy."  ''  0  Agni,  fill  with  dis- 
traction the  mind  of  this  my  enemy."  ''  0 
Agni,  destroy  the  senses  of  this  my  enemy." 
"  0  Agni,  make  dumb  the  mouth  of  this  my 
enemy."  "  0  Agni,  fasten  with  a  peg  the 
tongue  of  this  my  enemy."  "  0  Agni,  reduce 
to  ashes  this  my  enemy." 

How  different,  my  dear  children,  is-  the  re- 
liction of  Jesus  from  the  relii^ion  of  which  I 
have  been  giving  you  a  description.  No  pre- 
cepts teach  us  that  we  may  injure  or  destroy 
our  enemies.  On  the  contrary,  they  teach  us 
to  love  them,  and  do  them  good.  Let  me  re- 
peat to  you  some  of  the  words  which  our  Sav- 
iour spoke  on  this  point.  "  Ye  have  heard 
that  it  hath  been  said.  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor,  and  hate  thine  enemy ;  but  I  say 
unto  you,  love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that 
curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and 
pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use  you  and 
persecute  you,  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  ;  for  he  maketh 
his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  un- 
just." 


A  rf;ven(;eful  religion.  157 

One  of  the  young  Hindoos  in  Dr.   Duffs 
school   in   Calcutta,  when  reading  the   above 
and  similar  passages,  was  so  struck  with  the 
difference  between  these  precepts  and  the  pre- 
cepts of  his  Shasters,  that  he  could  not  but  ex- 
claim, "  0,  how  beautiful,  how  divine.     Surely 
this  is  the  truth — this  is  the  truth — ^this  is  the 
truth."     The  consequence  was,  that  he  never 
could  rest  until  he  had  thrown  aside  his  sacred 
books  and  his  idols,  and  embraced  that  Sav- 
iour whose  precepts  appeared  to  him  to  be  so 
beautiful.     And  was  this   heathen  so  struck 
with  the  beauty  of  the  precepts  of  the  Bible — 
so  struck,  that  he  had  no  peace  until  he  gave 
himself  to  his  Saviour  ?     And  have  you  ever, 
my  dear  children,  been  struck  with  the  pre- 
cepts of  your  Saviour — so  struck  with  them, 
that  you  could  never  rest  until  you  had  given 
up  your  hearts  to  him  ?     If  not,  how  great  is 
the  contrast  between  you  and  that  young  Hin- 
doo.    He  gave  his  heart  to  the  Saviour.     You 
withhold  yours.    He,  through  grace,  will  dwell 
for  ever  with  Christ  in  heaven.     You,  if  you 
continue  in  your  present  awful  condition,  must 
be  banished  from  his  presence,  and  cast  into 
hell,  where  you  shall  be  tormented  day  and 


158      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

night  for  ever,  with  the  devil  and  his  angels. 
Flee,  my  dear  children,  flee  to  the  Saviour 
now,  if  you  have  never  yet  done  so.  Flee  to 
him,  and  then  you  also  shall  dwell  for  ever  with 
him. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  DECEPTION  OF  THE  HINDOOS. 

My  dear  Children — From  what  I  have  pre- 
viously stated,  you  are  aware  that  the  Hin- 
doos are  a  very  deceitful  people.  Let  me  give 
you  another  instance  of  their  deception.  A 
late  head  catechist  of  one  of  my  missionary 
brethren  was,  before  his  conversion,  the  priest 
of  a  temple.  A  man  from  whom  about  one 
thousand  rupees'  worth  of  jewels  and  similar 
things  had  been  stolen,  came  to  this  priest,  and 
promised  to  reward  him  well,  if  he  would  de- 
tect the  thief,  and  secure  to  him  the  restora- 
tion of  his  property.  The  priest  promised  to 
comply  with  his  wishes ;  and  in  order  to  effect 
his  purpose,  he  had  drums  beaten  through  the 
village,  and  prbclaimed,  that  at  a  certain  time 
he  would  hold  a  meetins:  and  detect  the  thief. 


nrrrPTFON.  I59 

At  the  appointed  time,  a  large  concourse  of 
people  assembled,  the  priest  appearing  in  the 
midst  of  them  with  a  cocoa-nut  bound  around 
with  saflVon-cords.  He  then  told  them,  that 
if,  after  putting  down  the  cocoa-nut,  it  should 
move  of  its  own  accord  towards  him,  they 
might  know  that  he  \\1:)uld  be  able  certainly 
to  detect  the  thief;  and  added,  that  after  it  had 
thus  moved,  it  would  pursue  the  offender,  and 
follow  him  until  it  would  break  his  head.  He 
then  performed  certain  ceremonies  calculated 
to  awaken  superstitious  feelings  in  the  minds 
of  the  people,  and  laid  the  cocoa-nut  down  at  a 
little  distance  from  him.  To  the  great  amaze- 
ment of  all  present,  it  began  to  move  towards 
the  priest,  and  continued  to  move  until  it 
reached  his  feet.  This  being  done,  he  told  the 
people,  tliat  they  might  conclude  from  what 
they  had  seen,  that  the  cocoa-nut  would  follow 
the  thief  until  it  would  break  his  head.  He 
consented,  however,  to  give  him  a  little  grace — 
to  spare  his  life  until  the  next  day;  adding  his 
advice,  that  the  thief,  whoever  he  might  be, 
had  better  come  to  him  privately,  and  tell  him 
where  the  property  was.  In  the  dead  of  the 
night,  a  tap  was  heard  at  the  door  of  the  priest ; 


160      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

the  thief  presented  himself,  and  delivered  up 
the  property.  The  priest  received  a  present 
from  the  owner  of  the  property,  and  rewarded 
the  thief  for  his  promptness.  After  this  man 
was  converted,  he  was  asked  how  he  contrived 
to  make  the  cocoa-nut  move  towards  him. 
"Why,  sir,"  he  answ^'ed,  "if  you  will  care- 
fully divide  a  cocoa-nut,  scoop  out  the  kernel 
.  from  one-half  of  it,  enclose  a  strong,  lively  rat, 
put  the  parts  of  the  cocoa-nut  together,  and 
bind  the  whole  with  safFron-cords,  to  prevent 
the  crack  being  seen,  and  then  place  it  on  a 
declivity  previously  prepared,  it  is  clear,  that 
if  you  place  yourself  at  the  foot  of  this  decliv- 
ity, the  rat  will  twirl  the  cocoa-nut,  and  cause 
it  to  descend  until  it  reaches  your  feet." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SUPERSTITION    OF    THE    HINDOOS. 

My  dear  Children — In  my  Sermon  to  Chil- 
dren, before  alluded  to,  I  mentioned  a  few  par- 
ticulars to  prove  that  the  people  of  India  are 
very   superstitious.     Let   me    mention   a   few 


H  I  N  I)  O  o  s  u  r  C  R  s  r  ITl  ( >  N  .  1 G I 

more.  It  is  said  that  no  act,  however  good  it 
may  be,  if  performed  on  Sunday,  will  succeed. 
Some  will  not  eat  at  all  on  Sunday,  until  they 
have  seen  a  certain  bird — the  bird  on  which 
the  god  Vrishnoo  rides.  If  a  man  rubs  oil  on 
his  head  on  ]\Ionday,  and  bathes,  he  will  com- 
mit a  sin  equal  to  the  sin  of  destroying  a  tem- 
])le  of  Siva.  If  he  has  his  hair  cut  on  Tuesday, 
he  will  become  poor.  Even  to  worship  the 
gods  on  Wednesday,  is  bad.  If  a  person  takes 
medicine  on  Thursday,  his  sickness  will  be  in- 
creased. Should  he  lend  any  thing  on  Friday, 
he  will  lose  his  property.  If  he  should  buy  a 
new  cloth  on  Saturday,  take  it  home,  and  keep 
it  there,  death  may  be  the  consequence.  Should 
he  die  on  this  day,  some  other  member  of  the 
family  will  die  on  the  following  week. 

If  the  foundation  of  a  house  is  laid  in  June, 
the  destruction  of  that  house  will  follow. 
Should  a  family  enter  a  new  house  in  j\[arch, 
some  member  of  the  family  will  die.  If  a  mar- 
riage is  celebrated  in  September,  the  husband 
and  wife  will  fight  with  each  other. 

Should  a  thunderbolt  fall  on  a  house,  or  a 
vulture  alight  on  it,  some  evil  will  befall  the 
people  living  in  it.     If  a  crow  should  strike 

Sciidder's  Tiles.  1  I 


162      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

any  person  on  the  head  with  its  wings,  some 
of  his  relations  will  die.  Should  a  cat  or  a 
snake  cross  his  path,  it  would  be  an  indication 
of  evil.  In  the  latter  case,  one  of  his  relations 
will  die.  If,  when  returning  home,  a  person 
should  meet  him  bearing  a  light,  a  quarrel  will 
be  the  result. 

After  a  person  has  left  his  house,  should  he 
meet  a  single  Brahmin,  or  a  woman  who  has 
had  her  head  shaved,  or  a  dumb  or  a  blind  man, 
or  a  washerman  or  a  barber,  the  object  for 
which  he  left  would  not  succeed.  Or,  when 
going  out,  should  he  hit  his  head  against  the 
top  of  the  door-frame,  or  should  any  one  ask  him 
where  he  was  going,  or  should  he  happen  to 
sneeze,  he  would  consider  these  things  as  hin- 
derances  to  his  going,  and  reenter  the  house. 

Should  a  son  or  a  daughter  be  born  on  the 
new  moon  in  April,  they  will  become  thieves. 
If  a  person  is  born  under  the  planet  Saturn,  he 
will  be  slandered,  his  riches  will  be  dissipated, 
and  his  wife,  son,  and  friends  will  be  destroyed. 
He  will  also  be  at  variance  with  others,  and 
endure  many  sufferings.  Should  he  be  born 
under  the  planet  Mars,  he  will  be  full  of  anx- 
ious thoughts,  be   imprisoned,  and  oppressed 


HINDOO   SUPERSTITION.  1(33 

with  fear  from  robbers,  fire,  etc.  He  also  will 
lose  his  lands,  trees,  and  good  name. 

If  a  person  dreams  that  a  monkey  has  bitten 
him,  he  will  die  in  six  months  ;  or  if  he  dreams 
that  bedbugs,  in  large  numbers,  are  creeping 
over  his  body  to  bite  him,  he  will  die  in  eight 
days.  Should  he  dream  that  a  dog  has  bitten 
him,  he  will  die  in  three  years ;  or  should  he 
dream  that  a  dead  person  has  appeared  to  him 
and  spoken  to  him,  he  will  die  immediately. 

If  a  man  has  a  little  head,  he  will  become 
rich.  If  he  has  a  large  head,  he  will  be  poor. 
If  his  forehead  is  wide,  he  will  live  a  hundred 
years.  If  he  has  a  small  neck,  he  will  be  a 
murderer.  If  the  second  toe  is  long,  he  will 
be  a  bad  man.  If  a  woman  has  curly  hair, 
she  will  not  prosper.  If  her  nose  is  long,  she 
will  have  a  good  disposition.  If  her  ear  is  wide, 
she  will  tell  falsehoods.  If  she  has  a  mole  on 
her  nose,  she  will  be  subject  to  anger ;  if  on 
her  lips,  she  will  be  learned ;  if  on  the  eye- 
brows, she  will  be  cunning. 

I  could  continue  to  fill  a  number  of  pages 
with  things  of  the  same  description,  but  it  will 
be  unnecessary.  I  will  merely  mention  one 
instance   more.     On    a  certain   nis^ht   in  the 


164  TALES   ALJUUT   THE    HEATHEN. 

month  of  November,  the  people  will  not  look 
at  the  moon.  The  reason  assigned  for  this,  is 
as  follows.  Once,  when  the  elephant-faced 
god  Pulliar  was  dancing  before  the  gods,  the 
moon  happening  to  see  him,  laughed  at  him, 
and  told  him  that  he  had  a  large  stomach,  an 
ear  like  a  winnowing-fan,  etc.  This  so  en- 
raged him,  that  he  cursed  her.  This  curse 
was  inflicted  on  the  night  above  mentioned. 

How  does  the  wretchedness  cf  a  people,  both 
in  reference  to  the  things  of  this  world  and  of 
the  world  to  come,  show  itself  where  the  Bible 
is  unknown.  If  this  blessed  book  was  not  an 
inspired  book — if  it  did  no  more  than  remove 
the  temporal  miseries  of  men,  how  invaluable 
would  it  be  !  Of  how  much  more  value  then, 
is  it,  in  reference  to  the  removal  of  their  spirit- 
ual miseries  ? 

0,  why  is  it  that  Christians  have  not  long 
since  sent  this  Bible  to  them  ?  Why  is  it  that 
they  do  not  send  it  to  them  now  ?  This  is  a 
mystery,  which  we  must  leave  to  be  unravelled 
at  the  judgment-seat  of  the  last  day.  My  dear 
children,  you  are  to  stand  before  that  judgment- 
seat.  Shall  any  of  these  heathen  among  whom 
I  dwell,  rise  up  at  that  awful  season  — stretch 


HURMAFI.  1G5 

out  their  hands  towards  you,  and  say,  There 
stand  the  children  wlio  might  have  sent  us  the 
Bible,  but  they  did  not  send  it ;  and  now  we 
must  be  lost — lost  for  ever! 


CHAPTER   XX. 

t 
burmXh,  china,  etc.,  etc. 

My  dear  Children — If  you  will  look  on  your 
map  of  Asia,  you  will  see,  adjoining  Hindostan, 
at  the  east,  a  country  called  Burmah.  This  is 
another  land  of  idols.  Here  the  "  Baptist  Gen- 
eral Convention  for  Foreign  Missions"  have  one 
of  the  most  interesting  and  flourishing  missions 
in  the  world.  The  people  of  Burmah  are,  if 
possible,  still  further  removed  from  divine 
knowledge  than  the  people  of  India.  They 
are  in  reality  atheists,  or,  in  other  words, 
people  who  do  not  believe  in  a  creator  or  pre- 
server of  the  world.  But  still  they  worship 
gods,  who,  they  say,  have  become  so  by  acts  of 
religious  merit.  He  whom  they  now  worship 
is  called  Gaudama,  or  Boodh.  He  is  reputed 
to  be  the  son  of  the  king  of  Benares,  and,  if 
their  history  be  correct,  was  born  six  hundred 


166       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

years  before  Christ.  The  Boodhists  are  all 
idolaters.  They  have  many  temples  erected  to 
the  honor  of  Boodh  and  his  image.  Before  this 
image  they  present  flowers,  incense,  rice,  betel- 
nuts,  etc.  Like  all  other  idolatrous  nations, 
the  Burmese  are  very  wicked.  They  do  not 
respect  their  females  as  they  should  do.  They 
treat  them  as  an  inferior  order  of  beings.  They 
often  sell  them. 

A  very  singular  custom  prevails  in  that 
country.  It  consists  in  paying  a  kind  of  hom- 
age to  a  white  elephant.  This  elephant  is 
sumptuously  dressed  and  fed.  It  is  provided 
with  officers,  like  a  second  sovereign,  and  is 
made  to  receive  presents  from  foreign  ambassa- 
dors. It  is  next  in  rank  to  the  king,  and  supe- 
rior to  the  queen. 

Burmah  is  the  country  in  which  Drs.  Judson 
and  Price,  and  Messrs.  Hough  and  Wade  suf- 
fered so  much,  during  the  war  with  England 
several  years  ago.  Messrs.  Hough  and  Wade 
were  the  first  to  suffer.  As  the  ships  which 
were  to  make  the  attack  upon  Rangoon  ap- 
proached the  city,  they  were  seized  and  cast 
into  prison.  Their  legs  were  bound  together 
with  ropes,  and  eight  or  ten  Burmans,  armed 


BURMAH.  167 

with  spears  and  battle-axes,  were  placed  over 
them  as  a  guard.  They  were  afterwards  put 
in  irons.  The  next  morning,  as  the  fleet  ap- 
proached still  nearer  the  city,  orders  were  sent 
to  the  guard,  through  the  grates  of  their  prison, 
that  the  instant  the  shipping  should  fire  upon 
the  town,  they  were  to  kill  them,  together  with 
the  other  prisoners  confined  with  them.  The 
guard,  on  receiving  these  orders,  began  to 
sharpen  the  instruments  with  which  they  in- 
tended to  kill  them,  and  moved  them  about 
their  heads  to  show  with  how  much  skill  and 
pleasure  they  would  attend  to  their  orders. 
Upon  the  floor  where  they  intended  to  butcher 
them,  a  large  quantity  of  sand  was  spread  to 
receive  the  blood.  The  gloom  and  silence  of 
death  reigned  among  the  prisoners ;  the  vast 
ocean  of  eternity  seemed  but  a  step  before  them. 
At  length  the  fleet  arrived,  and  the  firing  com- 
menced. The  first  ball  which  was  thrown  into 
the  town  passed,  with  a  tremendous  noise,  di- 
rectly over  their  heads.  This  so  frightened  the 
guard,  that  they  seemed  unable  to  execute 
their  murderous  orders.  They  shrunk  away 
into  one  corner  of  the  prison,  where  they  re- 
mained quiet,  until  a  broadside  from  one  of  the 


168      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

ships  made  the  prison  shake  and  tremble  to  its 
very  foundation.  This  so  alarmed  them,  that 
they  burst  open  the  doors  of  the  prison  and  fled. 
The  missionaries,  with  the  other  prisoners,  were 
then  left  alone.  Their  danger,  however,  was 
not  at  an  end  ;  but  as  Grod  had  protected  them 
thus  far,  he  continued  to  protect  them  until 
they  were  set  at  liberty,  and  allowed  to  preach 
the  Gospel  again  to  those  perishing  heathen. 
Drs.  Judson  and  Price  were  also  imprisoned, 
and  suffered  much ;  but  they,  too,  were  preserv- 
ed and  delivered.  The  accounts  of  their  suf- 
ferings are  so  long,  that  I  cannot  now  relate 
them  all  to  you.  You  will  find  them  in  the  life 
of  Mrs.  Judson. 

After  the  war  was  over,  the  missionaries 
were  permitted  to  go  everywhere  to  proclaim 
the  name  of  the  Saviour ;  and  their  efforts  have 
been  very  much  blessed,  especially  among  the 
Karens.  It  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  give 
you  an  account  of  their  many  labors,  and  of  the 
many  tokens  which  they  have  received  of  God's 
favor  towards  multitudes  who  have  become 
followers  of  the  Redeemer.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  more  than  six  thousand  have  been  received 
into  tlie  Christian  church.     One  of  the  native 


riii.NA.  169 

teachers  not  long  since  baptized,  on  one  occa- 
sion, three  hundred  and  seventy-two  persons. 

Adjoining  Burmah,  is  China,  a  country  con- 
taining more  than  three  hundred  millions  of 
people,  about  twenty  times  as  many  as  there 
are  in  the  United  States  of  America.  It  is  a 
country  filled  with  idols.  Many  of  the  people 
earn  their  living  by  making  and  selling  these 
idols.  There  are  many  shops  where  they  are 
sold,  or  repaired  when  they  become  broken  or 
defaced. 

The  females  in  that  country  are  in  a  very 
degraded  state.  They  are  the  slaves  of  their 
husbands,  and  live  and  die  in  the  greatest  igno- 
rance. Any  attempt  to  raise  themselves  to  the 
level  of  females  in  Christian  lands,  is  consid- 
ered as  very  wicked.  The  little  female  child 
is  tortured  from  her  birth.  You  have,  per- 
haps, heard  that  the  women  of  China  have 
small  feet.  These  are  made  small  by  a  very 
cruel  practice — by  putting  bandages  of  cloth 
so  tightly  around  them,  that  they  cannot  grow. 
Many  women  have  feet  not  larger  tlian  those 
of  an  American  infant  of  one  year  old.  Mr. 
Doty,  missionary  to  China,  says,  that  he  was 
acquainted   with   a    little   girl   whose   mother 


170      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

had  bound  up  her  feet  so  tightly,  that  she  cried 
two  or  three  hours  every  day,  on  account  of 
the  great  pain  which  she  suffered. 

With  such  little  feet,  you  may  well  suppose 
that  it  would  be  very  difficult  for  the  women 
to  walk.  It  is  so.  They  limp  and  hobble 
along,  just  as  if  their  feet  had  been  cut  off,  and 
they  had  to  walk  on  stumps. 

The  Chinese  do  not  count  their  daughters 
among  their  children.  Mr.  Doty  says,  he  one 
day  asked  his  Chinese  teacher  how  many  chil- 
dren he  had.  He  replied,  that  he  had  several. 
'^How  many  of  these,"  he  then  inquired,  "  are 
daughters  ?"  '•  We  do  not  count  our  daughters 
among  our  children,"  he  answered.  "  I  have 
three  daughters,  but  we  Chinese  count  our 
sons  only  as  children." 

When  this  missionary  was  in  a  Chinese  vil- 
lage, where  he  had  never  been  before,  a  man 
called  to  see  him,  bringing  with  him  two  pretty 
little  girls,  neatly  dressed,  about  six  and  seven 
years  old.  He  said  that  they  were  his  daugh- 
ters, and  that  he  wished  to  sell  them.  Mr.  Doty 
refused  to  buy  them,  as  it  was  wicked  to  buy 
and  sell  children ;  but  he  told  him,  that  if  he 
would  commit  them  to  him,  he  would  take 


INFANTICIDE.  171 

them  home  witli  him,  and  educate  them,  and 
that  they  might  return  home  after  they  had 
grown.  To  this  proposal  he  would  not  con- 
sent; but  said,  that  if  he  would  buy  them,  they 
should  be  his  for  ever.  He  could  have  bought 
tlicm  both  for  about  twenty-six  dollars. 

The  Chinese -have  many  schools,  but  none 
for  their  daughters,  as  they  do  not  teach  them 
to  read.  When  they  are  about  thirteen  years 
old,  they  shut  them  up  in  what  are  called 
"women's  apartments,"  where  they  remain 
until  the  time  of  their  marriage.  Then  the 
parents  sell  them  to  those  who  wish  to  have 
wives  for  their  sons.  In  this  way,  they  are 
frequently  married  to  persons  whom  they  never 
before  saw. 

Many  parents  in  China  destroy  their  little 
girls  soon  after  they  are  born,  or  while  they  are 
very  small.  This  they  frequently  do  by  throw- 
incr  them  into  rivers,  or  into  the  sea,  after  they 
have  wrapped  them  up  in  coarse  mats.  Tliere 
is  a  little  Chinese  girl,  named  Ellen,  now  living 
in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  whose  father  was 
about  to  kill  her  when  she  was  three  weeks 
old.  An  English  lady  heard  of  his  intentions, 
and  sent  a  person  with  ten  dollars  to  see  if  she 


172  TAl-ES    ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

could  not  be  bought.  He  was  offered  the  ten 
dollars,  but  refused  to  take  them.  She  sent 
ten  dollars  more.  He  consented  to  take  the 
twenty  dollars.  This  little  girl  was  brought 
by  this  English  lady  to  America,  when  she  was 
about  six  years  old.  The  friends  who  have  her 
under  their  care,  are  educating  her  with  the 
hope  that  she  may  go  back  to  China,  to  tell  its 
females  of  the  Saviour. 

Did  you  ever,  my  dear  girls,  think  why  it  is 
that  your  parents  love  you,  and  educate  you — 
why  it  is  that  they  try  to  make  you  happy, 
instead  of  cramping  your  feet,  shutting  you  up, 
and,  perhaps,  at  last  selling  you  ?  It  is  because 
they  have  the  Bible.  Then,  how  anxious  should 
you  be  to  save  what  money  you  can,  to  buy 
Bibles  to  send  to  those  poor  heathen. 

As  I  am  now  speaking  of  the  destruction  of 
infants,  I  would  observe,  that  this  crime  is  com- 
mon in  other  heathen  countries.  It  was  quite 
common,  until  lately,  in  the  island  of  Tahiti, 
and  other  places  in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean. 
When  the  missionaries  of  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society  went  there,  many  years  ago,  they 
found  the  females  in  a  very  degraded  situation. 
Mr.  Nott,  one  of  these  missionaries,  declared  tha  t 


INFANTICIDE  17:j 

three  out  of  four  of  the  children  were  murdered 
as  soon  as  they  were  born.  He  met  a  woman 
soon  after  this  dreadful  crime  had  been  abol- 
ished, to  whom  he  said,  "  How  many  children 
have  you  ?"  "  This  one  in  my  arms,"  was 
her  answer.  "And  how  many  did  you  kill?" 
She  replied,  "  Eight."  Another  woman,  who 
was  asked  the  same  question,  said  that  she  had 
destroyed  seventeen.  Infanticide,  or,  in  other 
words,  the  destruction  of  infants,  says  the  Rev. 
Mr.  AVilliams,  was  carried  to  an  almost  incred- 
ible extent  in  Tahiti,  and  some  other  islands. 
He  writes,  "  During  the  visit  of  the  deputation, 
G.  Bennet,  Esq.,  was  our  guest  for  three  or 
four  days ;  and  on  one  occasion,  while  con- 
versing on  this  subject,  he  expressed  a  wish  to 
obtain  accurate  knowleds^e  of  the  extent  to 
which  this  cruel  practice  had  prevailed.  Threo 
women  were  sitting  in  the  room  at  the  time, 
making  European  garments,  under  Mrs.  Will- 
iams' direction ;  and,  after  replying  to  Mr. 
Bennet's  inquiries,  I  said, '  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  each  of  these  women  has  destroyed  some 
of  her  children.'  Mr.  Bennet  exclaimed,  '  Im- 
possible ;  such  motherly,  respectable  women 
could  never  have  been  guilty  of  so  great  an 


174  TALES   ABOUT  THE   HEATIIEx^. 

atrocity.'  '  Well,'  I  added,  '  we  will  ask  them.' 
Addressing  the  first,  I  said  to  her,  '  Friend,  how 
many  children  have  you  destroyed  ?'  She  was 
startled  at  my  question,  and  at  first  charged 
me  with  unkindness,  in  harrowing  up  her  feel- 
ings, by  bringing  the  destruction  of  her  babes 
to  her  remembrance ;  but  upon  learning  the 
object  of  my  inquiry,  she  replied,  with  a  falter- 
ing voice, '  I  have  destroyed  nine.''  The  second, 
with  eyes  suffused  with  tears,  said,  '  I  have 
destroyed  seven;''  and  the  third  informed  us 
that  she  had  destroyed  five.  Had  the  mission- 
aries gone  there  but  a  few  years  before,  with 
the  blessing  of  God,  they  would  have  prevented 
all  this.  These  mothers  were  all  Christians  at 
the  time  this  conversation  was  held." 

"  On  another  occasion,"  says  Mr.  Williams, 
^'  I  was  called  to  visit  the  wife  of  a  chief  in 
dying  circumstances.  She  had  professed  Chris- 
tianity for  many  years,  had  learned  to  read 
when  about  sixty,  and  was  a  very  active  teacher 
in  our  adult  school.  In  the  prospect  of  death, 
she  sent  a  pressing  request  that  I  would  visit 
her  immediately ;  and  on  my  entering  her  apart- 
ment, she  exclaimed,  '  0,  servant  of  God,  come 
and  tell  me  what  I  must  do.'     Perceiving  that 


INFANTICIDE.  175 

she  suffered  great  mental  distress,  I  inquired 
the  cause  of  it,  when  she  replied,  '  I  am  about 
to  die.'  '  Well,'  I  rejoined,  '  if  it  be  so,  wliat 
creates  this  agony  of  mind  ?'  '  0,  my  sins,  my 
sins,'  she  cried;  'I  am  about  to  die.'  I  then 
inquired  what  the  particular  sins  were  which 
so  greatly  distressed  her,  when  she  exclaimed, 
'  0,  my  children,  my  murdered  children !  I 
am  about  to  die,  and  shall  meet  them  all  at  the 
judgment-seat  of  Christ.'  Upon  this  I  inquired 
how  many  children  she  had  destroyed,  and  to 
my  astonishment  she  replied, '  I  have  destroyed 
sixteen^  and  now  I  am  about  to  die.'  "  After 
this  Mr.  AYilliams  tried  to  comfort  her,  by  tell- 
ing her  that  she  had  done  this  when  a  heathen, 
and  during  the  times  of  ignorance,  which  God 
winked  at.  But  she  received  no  consolation 
from  this  thought,  and  exclaimed  again,  "  0, 
my  children,  my  children."  He  then  directed 
her  to  the  ''faithful  saying,  which  is  worthy  of 
all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners."  This  gave  her  a  little 
comfort;  and  after  visiting  her  frequently,  and 
directing  her  to  that  blood  which  cleanseth  from 
all  sin,  he  succeeded,  with  the  blessing  of  God, 
in  bringing  peace  to  her  mind.     She  died  soon 


17G  TALES   ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

after,  rejoicing  in  the  hope  that  her  sins,  though 
many,  \Yould  be  forgiven  her.  Well  may  you 
exclaim,  my  dear  children, 

''"  Holy  Bible,  book  divine, 
Precious  treasure,  thou  art  mine." 

Infanticide  still  prevails  in  India,  but  as  i 
have  given  a  particular  description  of  this 
crime  in  my  Sermon  to  Children,  on  the  Con- 
dition of  the  Heathen,  T  will  here  say  nothing 
farther  on  the  subject. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE    DUTY     OF     PRAYING     AND     CONTRIBUTING     FOR     THE 
SPREAD    OF    THE    GOSPEL. 

My  dear  Children — There  is  another  story 
connected  v^^ith  India,  which  I  might  have  men- 
tioned in  my  last  chapter  while  writing  about 
the  destrLiction  of  infants.  I  will  relate  it  now, 
in  order  that  you  may  be  constrained  to  pray 
more  frequently  for  the  heathen.  Some  time 
ago,  the  wife  of  a  native  prince  had  a  little 
daughter.     The  father  ordered  it  to  be  put  to 


S  P  R  i:  A  D   O  F  THE  (;  O  S  1'  E  L.  ]  77 

death,  immediately  after  it  was  born.  Had  it 
been  a  son.  an  heir  to  tlie  throne,  he  would 
have  taken  great  care  of  it.  A  second,  a  third, 
a  fourth,  a  fifth  little  daughter  was  born.  All 
these  were  also  put  to  death  by  the  command 
of  the  father.  When  a  sixth  little  daughter 
was  born,  the  mother's  heart  yearned  over  it. 
"  I  cannot  part  with  it,"  said  she;  "  I  will  have 
it  taken  away  and  hid,  so  that  the  king  may 
know  nothing  about  it."  This  was  done,  but 
the  poor  mother  never  dared  to  send  for  her  little 
girl.  She  never  saw  her  again,  but  died  some- 
time after. 

Many  of  the  little  girls  in  India  are  very 
pretty.  They  have. dark  eyes,  and  sweet,  ex- 
pressive countenances.  This  little  child  grew 
to  be  a  very  beautiful  girl ;  and  when  she  was 
eleven  years  old,  some  of  her  relations  ventur- 
ed to  bring  her  to  her  father.  They  thought 
that  he  would  be  struck  with  the  sight  of  his 
sweet  child,  and  that  he  would  love  her  for  the 
sake  of  her  mother  who  had  died.  The  little 
girl  fell  at  his  feet  and  clasped  his  knees,  and 
looked  up  in  liis  face  and  said,  "  My  lather." 
And  what  do  you  think  that  father  did?  Do 
you  think  that  he  took  her  up  in  his  arms,  and 

S.Mirtder'j  T:.les.  ]  2 


178      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

kissed  her?  No.  He  seized  her  by  the  hair 
of  her  head,  drew  his  sword  from  his  belt,  and 
with  a  single  blow  took  off  her  head. 

Now,  my  dear  children,  do  you  not  think 
that  you  ought  to  pray  for  the  poor  heathen — 
to  pray  that  God  will  send  the  Gospel  to  them  ? 
I  want  to  tell  you  of  a  little  boy  who  heard  me 
preach  some  time  ago  about  the  heathen.  One 
night  he  said  his  prayers,  and  went  to  bed. 
After  he  got  into  bed,  he  said  to  the  nurse,  "I 
have  forgotten  to  pray  for  the  heathen,  and  I 
must  get  out  of  bed  and  pray  for  them."  The 
nurse  then  told  him  that  it  would  not  be  neces- 
sary for  him  "to  get  up,  as  he  could  pray  for  them 
while  in  bed.  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I  must  get 
out  of  bed  and  pray  for  them."  And  the  dear 
little  boy  would  not  rest  until  he  got  out  of  bed 
and  prayed  for  them.  Now  I  want  all  of  you, 
my  dear  children,  every  morning  and  evening, 
to  kneel  down  and  pray  for  the  heathen,  as  this 
little  boy  did.  And  I  want  you  to  do  some- 
thing more.  I  want  you  always  to  be  punctual 
in  attending  the  usual  monthly  concerts  of 
prayer,  provided  there  are  no  juvenile  monthly 
concerts  to  which  you  can  go.  I  have  long 
wished   to   see  juvenile  monthly   concerts  of 


SPREAD   OF  THE   GOSPEL.  179 

prayer  established.  They  would  be  very  inter- 
esting, if  I  am  to  judge  from  the  account  of 
one  which  I  some  time  ago  received  from  a 

friend  of  mine,  the  Rev.  Mr.  V .     I  will 

give  you  some  extracts  from  his  letter.  He 
writes,  "  According  to  promise,  I  send  you  an 
account  of  the  first  children's  monthly  concert, 
so  far  as  I  can  learn,  held  on  Long  Island. 
As  notice  was  not  given  either  in  the  church 
or  Sabbath-school,  the  attendance  was  smaller 
than  it  otherwise  would  have  been.  Still,  about 
sixty  interesting  children  attended.  After  a 
few  remarks  concerning  tlie  object  of  the  meet- 
ing, by  the  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school,  they  sung  with  melting  eyes  the  hymn 
that  describes  the  wretched  heathen  mother 
casting  her  lovely  babe  into  the  jaws  of  the 
monster  of  the  Ganges.  Prayer  then  was  made, 
of  about  two  or  three  minutes  in  len2i;h.  Then 
I  gave  some  of  the  most  affecting  accounts  of 
the  cruelties  and  ignorance  of  the  heathen,  as 
related  by  the  devoted  Williams,  that  martyr 
missionary.  Their  silent  attention  and  sub- 
dued countenances  told  that  their  hearts  were 
with  the  wretched  idolaters.  After  having  thus 
spent  about  ten  minutes,  the  children  sung  in 


180      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

a  sweet  manner,  a  hymn — a  prayer  for  those 
laboring:  amid  the  heathen  : 

"  When  worn  by  toil,  their  spirits  fail, 
Bid  them  the  glorious  future  hail ; 
Bid  them  the  crown  of  life  survey, 
And  onward  urge  their  conquering  way." 

"After  which,  two  resolutions  were  passed, 
unanimously,  by  the  children.  First,  that  they 
will  each  one  attend  the  monthly  concert  of 
prayer  regularly,  when  able,  and  bring  with 
them  all  their  companions  whom  they  can  per- 
suade to  come. 

''  Secondly,  that  they,  with  the  children  of 

the  various  schools  of  W ,  will  constitute 

a  life  member  of  the  W Bible  Society. 

Some  of  the  smaller  children  had  brought  their 

little  Bibles  to  give  them  to ,  that  he  might 

carry  them  to  the  poor  children  of  the  heathen. 
But  when  informed  that  the  heathen  could  not 
understand  English,  they  determined  to  raise 
money,  and  send  it  out  to  purchase  Bibles  for  the 
children.  This  interesting  meeting  was  closed 
by  prayer,  the  doxology,  and  benediction." 

But  not  only  can  you  pray  for  the  heathen, 
you  can  give  something  to  send  the  Gospel  to 
them.     Do  you  say  that  you  have  no  money  to 


SPREAD   OF   THE   GOSPEL.  181 

give?  But  cannot  you  earn  some?  Many 
young  persons  have  done  so.  One  of  whom  I 
have  read,  says,  *'  Besides  supporting  a  school 
in  Ceylon,  we  are  going  to  support  five  Chinese 
boys.  I  earn  six  cents  a  week  for  not  using 
tea,  one  for  not  using  sugar,  and  three  for  not 
using  coffee." 

Another  says,  "  I,  with  three  others,  have 
been  making  matches  to  the  amount  of  ten 
dollars,  and  should  have  made  more,  but  the 
people  are  pretty  well  supplied.  I  am  going  to 
dig  my  father's  garden,  and  my  mother  is  going 
to  give  me  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  for  digging  it, 
which  I  shall  give  to  the  missionaries.  I  am 
croin^y  to  do  all  I  can,  and  to  earn  all  I  can, 
and  save  all  that  I  have,  to  support  the  mis- 
sionaries." 

Another  says,  "  I  am  going  to  leave  off  buy- 
ing candy."  What  is  that?  Can  little  girls 
and  boys  do  without  sugar-candy  ?  1  am  afraid 
that  many  of  you,  my  dear  children,  would  find 
it  difficult  to  go  without  it.  But  let  me  quote 
all  that  this  child  wrote.  "  I  am  going  to  leave 
off  buying  candy  and  such  little  notions,  unless 
it  is  necessary,  and  save  every  cent  that  1  can 
set  and  orive  it  to  the  missionaries." 

O  CD 


182      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

Now,  my  dear  children,  I  do  think  that  if 
you  would  save  some  of  those  cents  which  you 
spend  in  buying  candy,  fire-crackers,  and  sim- 
ilar things,  and  buy  Bibles  and  tracts  for  the 
poor  heathen,  you  would  do  much  more  good 
with  them. 

I  want  to  tell  you  about  a  little  boy  who 
belonged  to  one  of  my  schools  in  Ceylon,  who 
has,  as  I  hope,  gone  to  heaven  through  the 
means  of  a  tract  which  cost  only  two  or  three 
cents,  and  which  was  the  cause  of  his  coming 
under  my  care.  After  he  had  attended  preach- 
ing for  some  time,  he  begged  me  to  admit  him 
to  the  church.  As  he  was  quite  young,  not 
eleven  years  old,  I  was  afraid  to  receive  him. 
This  feeling,  perhaps,  was  wrong.  He  never 
joined  the  church  on  earth.  He  has,  however, 
I  hope,  gone  to  join  the  church  in  heaven. 
When  he  was  about  eleven  years  of  age,  he  was 
attacked  with  the  cholera  and  died.  In  this 
country,  when  children  are  very  ill,  the  father 
or  mother  will  catch  up  a  cocoa-nut  or  a  few 
plantains,  and  run  off  to  the  temple,  and  say, 
*'  Now,  Swammie,  if  you  will  cure  my  little  boy 
or  little  girl,  I  will  give  you  this  cocoa-nut,  or 
these  plantains."     The  mother  of  this  boy  saw 


SPRCAI)   OF    THIv    GOSPFI,.  183 

that  he  was  very  ill,  and  she  told  him  that  she 
wished  to  go  to  make  oflerings  to  one  of  her 
idols,  in  order  that  he  might  get  well.  But  he 
requested  her  not  to  do  so.  "I  do  not  worship 
idols,"  said  he  ;  ''  I  worship  Christ,  my  Saviour. 
If  he  is  pleased  to  spare  me  a  little  longer  in 
the  world,  it  will  be  well ;  if  not,  I  shall  go  to 
him."  The  last  words  he  uttered  were,  "  I  am 
going  to  Christ  the  Lord." 

Now  when  you  think  about  this  little  boy, 
I  want  you  to  ask  yourselves,  whether  it  is  not 
better  to  give  two  or  three  cents  to  try  and  save 
the  soul  of  some  poor  little  heathen  boy  or  girl, 
than  to  spend  them  in  buying  candy,  and  other 
useless  things. 

But  I  must  tell  you  about  a  little  girl  whom 
I  saw  some  time  ago,  who  refused  to  buy  candy 
while  there  are  so  many  heathen  without  the 
Bible.  Her  father  is  a  sea-captain.  Being  ab- 
sent from  home,  he  sent  her  five  dollars  to  buy 
candy,  or  any  thing  else  which  she  wished.  As 
this  little  girl  had  heard  about  the  heathen,  she 
determined  to  throw  all  her  money  into  the  mis- 
sionary-box, instead  of  spending  it  for  her  own 
pleasure.  The  mother,  on  learning  her  inten- 
tions, asked  her  if  she  would  not  like  to  spend 


184  TALES   AHOU'I    THE    li  E  J.  P  H  E  N  . 

a  part  of  it  for  candy,  and  similar  things.  She 
replied,  that  she  would  not,  and  in  due  time  she 
put  her  five  dollars  into  the  missionary-box. 
Not  long  after  this,  she  was  attacked  with  a 
severe  toothache.  The  mother  proposed  that 
the  defective  tooth  should  be  extracted.  The 
little  creature,  for  she  was  only  about  eight 
years  old,  dreaded  the  operation,  and  seemed 
at  first  to  be  backward  about  having  it  per- 
formed. To  encourage  her  to  submit  to  it,  her 
mother  offered  her  twenty-five  cents.  This 
little  girl  did  not  then  begin  to  reason.  Now,  if 
I  can  only  get  those  twenty-five  cents,  I  can 
buy  a  doll,  or  I  can  buy  some  sugar-candy ; 
but  she  reasoned  thus.  Now,  if  I  can  get  those 
twenty-five  cents,  I  can  go  and  put  them  into 
the  missionary-box.  So  she  said  to  her  mother, 
I  will  go  and  have  the  tooth  taken  out.  The 
tooth,  however,  ceased  to  ache,  but  still  she 
wished  to  have  it  extracted.  Her  mother  then 
interfered,  and  told  her  that,  as  it  had  ceased  to 
ache,  it  might  be  well  for  her  not  to  have  it 
drawn  until  it  ached  again.  The  little  girl, 
however,  persisted,  saying,  that  if  it  v^^ere  not 
taken  out,  she  could  not  get  the  twenty-five 
cents  to  devote  to  the  missionarv  cause.     She 


SPREAD  OF  THE   GOSPEL.  185 

therefore  went  to  the  dentist's,  submitted  to 
the  operation,  received  her  twenty-five  cents, 
and  went  and  threw  them  into  the  Lord's  treas- 
ury. Was  not  that  a  noble  little  girl  ?  Doubt- 
less  you  will  all  say  she  was. 

I  must  tell  you  about  a  noble  little  boy  also. 
Some  time  ago,  I  was  preaching  to  the  children 
of  Canandaigua,  in  the  western  part  of  New 
York.  After  I  had  preached  there,  I  went  on 
to  Rochester.  Returning  from  that  place,  T 
met  with  a  lady  in  the  cars,  who  told  me  as 
follows:  "After  you  had  preached  in  Canan- 
daigua," said  she,  "  a  young  lady  there,  who 
had  lost  her  mother,  and  who  had  six  or  seven 
or  eight  of  her  brothers  and  sisters  under  her 
care,  formed  them  into  a  missionary  society." 
Oh,  I  wish  that  all  the  dear  children  in  America 
were  formed  into  missionary  societies.  After 
she  had  done  this,  she  asked  her  little  brother 
how  he  was  going  to  get  money  to  put  into  the 
missionary-box.  "  By  catching  mice,"  said  he. 
His  sister  gave  him  two  or  three  cents  for  every 
mouse  he  caught.  Thus  it  appears,  that  this 
dear  little  boy  was  going  to  throw  all  his  earn- 
ings into  the  Lord's  treasury. 

But  let  me  toll  v->n  a  little  more  about  the 


186  TALES   ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

children  to  whom  I  before  alluded.  Another 
says,  ''  In  some  of  the  day-schools  of  this  city, 
the  girls  have  formed  sewing  societies,  and 
make  pin-cushions,  needle-books,  emery-bags, 
and  the  like,  and  send  the  money  that  is  raised 
from  the  sale  of  them  to  the  missionaries,  to 
be  used  for  the  heathen.  There  are  seven  Sab- 
bath-schools in  this  town,  and  in  each  of  them 
there  is  a  missionary  association ;  so  that  in  all 
about  five  hundred  dollars  are  sent  from  the 
Sabbath-schools  every  year." 

Now,  my  dear  girls,  I  want  you  to  think  of 
what  has  now  been  said  about  the  formation  of 
sewing  societies ;  and  I  want  you  to  ask  your 
mothers  whether  they  will  not  allow  you  to 
form  such  societies,  to  meet  once  a  week,  or 
once  in  two  weeks,  or  once  a  month  to  sew,  to 
get  some  money  to  send  the  Gospel  to  the  hea- 
then. Many  societies  of  this  kind  have  been 
formed.  After  I  had  preached  to  the  children 
in  one  of  the  churches  in  Third-street,  New 
York,  the  little  girls  who  attend  that  church 
formed  such  a  society.  The  account  which  I 
received  of  it  is  as  follows.  ''  You  may  remem- 
ber, that  in  your  address  to  our  Sabbath-school, 
you  related  instances  of  little  girls  knitting, 


SPREAD   OF  TriE  GOSPEL.  187 

sewing,  etc.,  to  earn  something  for  the  mis- 
sionary-box. The  examples  which  you  related 
were  not  lost  to  the  girls  of  the  Sabbath-school. 
Immediately  they  began  to  talk  about  forming 
themselves  into  a  sewing  society,  and  making 
small  articles,  and  giving  the  proceeds  to  the 
iTiissionary  society.  They  did  not  stop  here, 
but  went  right  to  work,  and  soon  formed  their 
society,  which  they  styled  the  Juvenile  Sewing 
Society.  They  are  in  a  very  prosperous  and 
flourishing  condition  at  present.  I  know  not 
the  amount  of  funds  they  possess — they  pay  a 
cent  a  week  into  their  treasury — but  they  have 
a  large  assortment  of  articles  already  made. 
I  understand,  also,  they  meet  once  a  week  to 
sew." 

After  I  had  preached  at  a  place  called  Little 
Falls,  New  York,  the  girls  formed  a  sewing  so- 
ciety there.  The  following  account  of  this  so- 
ciety, I  received  from  one  of  its  little  members. 
"  When  you  were  here  last  fall,  and  told  us 
how  much  good  little  girls  had  done  in  having 
sewing  societies,  we  thought  we  would  see  if 
we  could  not  do  some  good  in  the  world,  as  well 
as  they ;  and,  since  October,  we  have  met 
weekJv.  and  by  holdinsr  a  fair,  we  liave  sue- 


188       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

ceeded  in  raising  sixty-two  dollars.  We  hope 
it  will  be  the  mems  of  saving  some  poor  hea- 
then children." 

Now,  as  I  said  before,  I  want  you,  my  dear 
girls,  to  ask  your  mothers  if  you  may  not  form 
such  societies  also.  Will  you  think  of  it  ?  I 
hope  you  will. 

Another  of  the  children  to  whom  I  have  twice 
referred,  says,  "  I  can  try  and  save  their  souls,  if 
I  am  not  there.  I  can  work  for  them,  and  send 
some  money  to  you  to  buy  them  Bibles,  and  I 
can  pray  for  them ;  and  if  I  should  save  some 
souls,  0  how  would  they  thank  me.  But  if  I 
did  not  send  my  money,  nor  care  any  thing 
about  them,  and  I  should  not  go  to  heaven,  and 
they  should  not,  how  would  they  rise  up  in 
judgment  against  me,  and  say.  If  we  had  had 
the  privileges  that  you  had,  we  should  not  be 
here.  0,  how  thankful  we  ought  to  be,  that 
we  Avere  not  born  in  heathen  lands.  0,  if  the 
poor  heathen  could  only  have  such  privileges  as 
we  have,  how  thankful  would  they  be  ;  and  if 
we  were  born  in  heathen  lands,  I  have  no  doubt 
that  they  would  come  and  tell  us  about  a 
Saviour." 

T  have  received  many  letters  from  children, 


SPRCAD   OF   THE  GOSPEL.  189 

breathing  the  same  spirit  which  is  manifested 
in  the  notes  I  have  copied. 

One  writes,  "  Last  winter  I  brought  in  the 
wood  for  mother,  and  she  gave  me  fifty  cents. 
I  now  am  very  glad  that  I  have  not  spent  it, 
as  I  can  give  it  to  you  to  buy  tracts  for  the 
little  heathen  children  of  India." 

A  second  writes,  "  The  enclosed  fifty  cents 
my  grandmother  gave  me  when  I  was  a  very 
little  boy,  for  sitting  still  one  hour.  Will  you 
please  to  use  it  to  furnish  the  Bible  and  mis- 
sionary to  the  heathen." 

A  third  writes,  "  I  have  always  spent  my 
money  for  candy  and  otlier  trifles,  but  since  I 
have  heard  about  the  darkness  and  misery  of 
the  heathen,  I  intend  to  save  it  all,  and  put  it 
into  the  missionary-box." 

A  fourth  writes,  "  The  enclosed  I  earned  by 
knitting.  I  intended  to  save  it,  till  I  had  suf- 
ficient to  carry  me  a  short  journey  to  see  some 
of  my  friends  ;  but  when  I  heard  you  tell  about 
the  little  heathen  girls,  I  thought  I  woulil  give 
it  to  you,  for  the  poor  heathen  children." 

A  fifth  writes,  "  I  have  enclosed  twelve  and 
a  half  cents,  which  my  father  gave  me  to  go 
and  see  General  Tom  Thumb.     AVhcn  I  heard 


190      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

you  lecture  last  evening,  I  came  home  and  con- 
cluded to  give  it  to  you,  and  let  you  buy  Bibles 
for  the  poor  heathen." 

A  sixth  writes,  "  I  remember,  before  my 
mother  died,  she  used  to  tell  me  a  great  deal 
about  the  children  of  India,  and  now  she  is  in 
heaven.  I  think  she  would  like  to  have  me 
give  my  heart  to  the  Saviour,  and  go  and  teach 
those  poor  children.  I  give  you  some  money 
that  was  given  to  me  to  see  an  exhibition, 
which  I  saved  to  give  for  such  things,  rather 
than  go." 

A  seventh  writes,  "You  told  us  that  two 
cents  were  the  means  of  converting  a  young 
man.  I  would  give  two  cents  every  week,  if 
it  would  convert  souls  to  Christ." 

An  eighth  writes,  "  My  mother  told  me,  some 
time  ago,  that  every  day  I  recited  my  lessons 
without  missing  a  word,  she  would  give  me  a 
penny  ;  and  not  being  desirous  to  spend  it,  I  do 
wish  you  would  take  it — fifty  cents — to  the 
heathen.  It  may  buy  some  tracts  at  the  bazaar 
or  market." 

A  ninth  writes,  "  We  feel  sorry  for  those 
poor  heathen  children.  We  will  try  to  earn 
some  money   to   buy  Bibles  for  the   heathen 


SPREAD  OF   THE  GOSPEL.  IQl 

Father  has  promised  us  some  land  to  work  next 
summer,  and  we  think  we  can  raise  something 
and' sell  it  to  get  the  money." 

A  tenth  writes,  *' Since  you  were  here  last 
spring,  I  have  saved  what  I  could — one  dollar — 
for  the  heathen  children,  and  sliould  be  glad  if 
I  could  do  more." 

An  eleventh  writes,  "  The  money  which  you 
will  find  enclosed,  I  earned  by  working  for  my 
mother  on  Saturday,  which  I  intended  to  keep 
to  buy  a  microscope ;  but  when  I  heard  you 
preach  on  Sabbath,  I  concluded  to  give  it  to 
buy  Bibles  for  the  poor  heathen  children." 

A  twelfth  writes,  "  The  enclosed,  five  dollars, 
was  a  birtliday  present  from  my  father,  but 
I  want  to  give  it  to  Dr.  Scudder,  for  the  poor 
little  boys  in  Ceylon." 

A  thirteenth  writes,  "  Please  accept  my  mite, 
by  the  hand  of  my  brother.  I  have  been  keep- 
ing it  for  the  purpose  of  buying  a  geography ; 
but  when  I  heard  you  preach  yesterday,  I 
thought  I  had  better  send  it  to  you,  for  the  poor 
heathen." 

A  fourteenth  writes,  "I  would  like  much  to 
become  a  missionary,  as  I  am  named  after  one ; 
I  hope  I  shall  be  one.     I  have  been  saving  a 


192       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

dollar  to  buy  myself  some  books,  but  concluded 
to  give  it  to  buy  some  books  for  the  heathen." 
The  last  two  children,  whose  letters  you  have 
been  reading,  gave  to  the  missionary  cause  the 
money  which  they  had  been  earning  to  buy 
books.  When  you  have  been  earning  money 
for  the  express  purpose  of  giving  it  to  the  mis- 
sionary cause,  then  you  should  devote  it  all  to 
that  cause  ;  but  I  would  advise  you  not  to  do 
as  did  the  two  children  last  mentioned.  Had 
my  opinion  been  asked,  relative  to  the  disposal 
of  their  money,  I  would  have  recommended 
them  to  give  one-tenth,  or  perhaps  a  little 
more,  of  the  sums  they  had  been  earning,  to 
their  Saviour,  and  to  keep  the  rest  to  buy  their 
books.  The  giving  of  not  less  than  one-tenth 
of  all  you  earn,  for  charitable  purposes,  is  the 
principle  which  I  wish  to  have  impressed  fully 
on  your  minds,  and  I  hope  you  will  grow  up 
under  the  influence  of  this  principle,  and  never, 
never  depart  from  it.  But  while  I  thus  speak, 
you  must  not  suppose  that  I  wish  you  to  con- 
fine yourselves  to  the  giving  of  one-tenth,  when 
j^'ou  can  give  more ;  I  hope  you  will  not  give 
merely  tliis,  but  one-half,  or  more,  if  you  can 
afford  it.     Indeed,  if  you  do  not  go  as  mission- 


SPRKAU   OF  THE   COSPEL.  1*J3 

aries  to  tlie  heathen,  I  want  you  to  make  it 
your  great  object  to  make  money  for  Christy 
and  to  spend  it  for  Christ.  0,  if  the  genera- 
tion which  is  grown,  were  as  anxious  to  make 
money  for  Christ,  and  to  spend  it  for  Christ,  as 
they  are  to  make  it  for  themselves,  and  to  spend 
it  for  themselves,  or  to  hoard  it  up — it  may  be 
for  the  everlastinsf  destruction  of  the  souls  of 
their  heirs — there  would  be  no  complaints  that 
money  could  not  be  had  to  send  the  Gospel  to 
the  destitute,  both  at  home  and  abroad. 

In  my  twelfth  cliapter,  I  spoke  of  the  liberal 
donations  which  the  heathen  of  India  make  for 
the  support  of  their  religion.  In  the  city  of 
Calcutta  alone,  it  is  supposed  that  two  millions 
of  dollars  are  spent  every  year  on  the  festival 
of  a  single  goddess — a  festival  which  lasts  only 
a  few  days.  A  single  native  has  been  known 
to  give,  as  I  before  said,  more  than  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  at  one  time  to  this  festival, 
and  afterwards  thirty  thousand  dollars  yearly. 
How  vast,  then,  must  be  the  sums  which  arc 
spent  upon  all  the  different  festivals  of  their 
gods.  Would  that  we  could  .see  such  liberality 
among  Christians.  Would  that  we  could  see 
the  generality  of  thoni  willing  to  give  even  one- 


194  TALES   ABOUT  THE    HEATHEN. 

tenth  of  their  annual  income  to  the  Lord.  Alas, 
what  would  the  heathen  say,  if  they  were  to 
learn  how  much  greater  are  the  sums  of  money 
which  they  give  to  their  idols,  than  Christians 
give  to  honor  their  Saviour  ?  Would  they  not 
exclaim,  It  is  because  Christianity  is  false,  and 
heathenism  is  true,  that  Christians  give  so  little 
for  Christ,  while  we  give  so  much  for  our 
gods  ?  My  dear  children,  I  hope  that  you  will 
never  allow  the  heathen  to  say  that  the  Chris- 
tian religion  is  false,  because  you  do  not  give 
your  money  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  Will 
you  not  resolve  now,  that  you  will,  so  long  as 
God  prospers  you  in  worldly  goods,  give  at 
least  one-tenth  of  all  you  earn  to  the  Lord  ? 
Do,  my  dear  children,  do  make  the  resolution 

NOW. 


LABORS  AMONG  THE  HEATHEN.     ^JQ 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

PERSONAL    LABORS    AMONG    THE    HEATHEN. 

My  dear  Children — You  have,  perhaps,  often 
seen  Campbell's  missionary  map  of  the  world. 
If  not,  I  want  you  very  carefully  to  look  at  it. 
I  want  you  to  look  at  the  red  spots  on  it,  and 
think  how  many  millions  of  people  embrace  the 
religion  both  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  Catholic 
churches — a  religion  which  is  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  paganism,  with  a  few  Christian 
doctrines  added  to  it.  After  this,  I  want  you 
to  look  at  the  green  spots,  and  think  of  the 
hundred  and  twenty  millions  of  Mohammedans, 
who  spurn  the  name  of  Jesus  as  a  Saviour, 
and  who  have  set  up  Mahomet  as  their  prophet. 
I  want  you  also  to  look  at  all  the  dark  spots, 
where,  with  comparatively  a  few  exceptions, 
the  people  are  in  pagan  darkness,  without  any 
knowledge  of  God  and  the  only  Saviour  of  sin- 
ners, Jesus  Christ.  And  in  view  of  all  this 
darkness — in  view  of  the  need  of  more  than  half 
a  million  of  ministers  of  the  Gospel  to  preach 
the  news  of  salvation  to  them,  I  want  you,  my 
dear  boys,  to  ask  yourselves  whether  it  mny 


196      ■■         TALES  ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

not  be  your  duty,  after  you  grow  up,*  to  become 
ministers,  and  go  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
them.  You  know  that  you  are  bound  to  do 
all  the  good  to  others  which  you  can  ;  and  even 
if  you  do  not  love  the  Saviour,  you  are  not 
released  from  your  obligations  to  do  good.  I 
would  by  no  means  have  you  become  ministers 
without  giving  your  hearts  to  Christ;  but  this 
you  are  as  much  bound  to  do,  as  you  are  bound 
to  do  all  the  good  you  can  to  others.  If  you 
are  not  Christians,  I  want  you,  through  grace, 
to  become  such,  and  I  want  many  of  you  to 
become  ministers  and  missionaries.  Two  of 
my  sons  are  now  missionaries  in  India,  and  four 
others,  I  hope,  are  preparing  to  come.  And 
why  should  not  you  also  come  here,  or  go  to 
other  heathen  lands  ?  If  you  can  be  excused 
from  coming  or  going,  why  may  not  all  Avho 
are  now  little  boys  also  be  excused  ?  In  such 
a  case,  there  will  be  no  missionaries  at  all 
And  you  know  that  this  would  be  very  wrong 
But  I  do  not  merely  want  many  of  you,  m}^ 
dear  boys,  to  become  missionaries,  I  want  man} 
of  you,  my  dear  girls,  to  become  missionaries 
also.  Many  little  girls  and  boys  have  express- 
ed a  desire  to  become  missionaries.     Several 


LABORS   AMONG   THE   HEATHEN.  197 

little  boys  who  wrote  to  Mr.  Hutchings,  one  of 
my  missionary  brethren,  and  several  little  boys 
and  girls  who  have  written  to  me,  have  said 
that  tliey  would  like  to  be  missionaries. 

One  writes,  "  I  should  like  to  go  and  be  a 
missionary,  and  instruct  the  poor  heathen  chil- 
dren to  love  God." 

A  second  says,  "  I  have  been  selling  matches 
that  I  made.  I  got  five  dollars — ^just  as  many 
dollars  as  I  am  years  old.  I  think  I  shall  be- 
come a  missionary,  and  come  and  help  you.  I 
hope  I  shall  see  you  again  when  I  come  to 
Ceylon.  Tell  the  heathen  children  they  must 
love  God,  and  be  good  children.  They  must 
not  give  the  children  to  the  crocodiles,  nor 
throw  them  into  the  water ;  and  they  must  not 
worship  wooden  and  brass  gods.  They  must 
worship  the  true  God,  and  keep  his  command- 
ments." 

A  third  says,  "  I  like  to  send  money  to  help 
the  poor  heathen  to  learn  to  read  the  Bible, 
and  other  good  books.  I  think  it  will  be  pleas- 
ant to  sail  across  the  ocean,  and  teach  them  to 
turn  from  their  idols.  I  would  teach  them  not 
to  lay  themselves  down  before  the  car  of  Jug- 
gernaut, and  be  crushed  to  death  ;  and  I  would 


198  TALES  ABOUT  THE   HEATHEN. 

te^cli  them  not  to  burn  themselves  to  death  on 
the  funeral  pile."  ' 

A  fourth  says,  ''  I  mean  to  save  something 
to  send  to  you,  to  help  support  one  school. 
Should  my  life  be  spared,  and  the  way  be  open- 
ed at  some  future  day,  I  think  I  should  be  will- 
ing to  leave  my  native  home,  to  go  to  some  dis- 
tant land  to  tell  the  heathen  of  a  Saviour,  whom 
I  hope  I  have  found." 

A  fifth  says,  "  If  you  are  ever  in  want  of 
money,  just  please  to  send  on  to  me,  and  I  will 
endeavor  to  raise  all  that  you  want.  If  I  live 
to  be  a  man,  I  hope  to  be  a  missionary  to  Cey- 
lon or  China." 

One  little  boy  wrote  to  me  as  follows :  "I 
have  for  a  long  time  been  saving  three  shillings, 
for  the  purpose  of  buying  a  little  racoon,  which 
I  intended  to  do  on  Monday.  On  Sunday  I 
heard  you  preach,  and  thought  I  would  give  it 
to  you  to  save  some  poor  heathen  soul ;  and  I 
hope  you  will  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  become 
a  minister,  and  go  to  India,  and  preach  to  the 
heathen." 

Another  writes,  ''  This  is  to  certify  that  I, 
Charles  D.  H.  Frederick,  pledge  myself,  if  God 
spares  my  life,  when  I  get  to  be  a  man,  and  he 


LABORS   AMONG  THE   HEATHEN.  199 

pardons  me  through  Christ  Jesus,  I  will  go  and 
preach  to  the  heathen." 

A  little  girl  wrote  me  as  follows  :  *'  Accord- 
ing to  my  present  feelings,  I  should  like  to  en- 
gage in  so  glorious  a  cause,"  as  the  missionary 
cause,  "  and  I  hope,  when  I  arrive  at  an  age  to 
be  of  use  to  God,  and  the  poor  heathen,  to  em- 
brace so  glorious  a  cause." 

Another  little  girl  writes,  "  I  felt  very  bad 
when  I  heard  you  tell  about  the  poor  heathen 
who  worship  the  idols.  I  could  not  keep  from 
weeping,  when  you  told  us  about  ftie  man  who 
came  so  far  to  get  a  teacher  to  come  and  tell 
the  Gospel  to  his  friends,  and  was  disappointed. 
I  felt  very  bad  Sunday  evening ;  and  on  Mon- 
day evening  I  felt  that  the  Lord  had  given  me 
a  new  heart.  I  felt  happy,  and  sang  some 
beautiful  verses  that  I  learned  in  one  of  moth- 
er's little  books.  I  have  read  the  Day-springs, 
and  thought  a  great  deal  about  the  heathen  for 
two  years. 

''  I  used  to  think  a  s^reat  deal  about  bavins: 
nice  clothes,  before  I  thought  so  much  about 
the  heathen.  My  mother  told  me  some  time 
ago,  that  she  thought  she  would  get  me  a  white 
dress  when  I  was  ten  years  old.     I  am  now 


200      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

ten  years  old,  and  this  evening  mother  gave 
me  two  dollars  to  get  the  dress,  or  dispose  of 
it  in  any  way  I  thought  best ;  and  I  wish  you 
would  take  it  to  have  the  poor  heathen  taught 
about  the  Saviour.  If  I  live,  and  it  is  the 
Lord's  will,  I  hope  I  shall  come  and  help  you 
teach  the  poor  heathen  about  the  Saviour." 

There  is  a  little  boy  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  who  formerly  used  to  tell  his  mother, 
that  he  meant  to  be  a  cab-driver,  an^  all  she 
could  say  to  him  was  of  no  avail  in  making 
him  think  differently.  This  little  boy  came 
with  his  mother  to  hear  me  preach  about  the 
heathen. 

After  he  had  left  the  church,  as  he  was  go- 
ing home,  he  burst  into  tears,  and  exclaimed, 
''  Mother,  I  mean  to  be  a  missionary  to  the 
heathen;"  and  so  far  as  I  know,  he  has  never 
talked  about  being  any  thing  else  since.  And 
I  hope  that  many  of  you  will  never  talk  about 
being  any  thing  else  than  missionaries  to  the 
heathen. 

I  am  acquainted  with  a  little  girl  in  Ohio, 
who  has  resolved  to  become  a  missionary.  She 
is  a  niece  of  Mr.  Campbell,  late  missionary  to 
Africa.     She  was  not  quite  four  years  old  Avhen 


LABORS  AMONG  THK  HEATHEN.     OQ 1 

I  saw  her.  AVhen  she  was  eighteen  months  of 
age,  she  saw  the  picture  of  a  heathen  mother 
throwing  her  child  into  the  mouth  of  a  croco- 
dile. She  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  sight. 
When  she  was  two  and  a  half  years  old,  she 
resolved  to  be  a  miissionary,  and  follow  her 
uncle  to  Africa.  From  this  resolution  she  has 
never  drawn  back.  When  I  was  at  her  fa- 
ther's house,  she  was  asked  if  she  would  not  go 
to  India.  She  replied,  that  she  would  not  go 
to  India,  but  to  Africa.  She  was  asked  why 
she  wished  to  go  to  Africa.  "  To  teach  the 
heathen,"  was  her  answer.  "Wliy  should  you 
teach  the  heathen  ?"  "  Because  they  worship 
idols."  Her  mother  told  me,  that  ever  since 
she  began  to  get  money,  she  has  contributed  to 
the  missionary  cause  ;  and  this  money  has 
generally,  if  not  always,  been  earned  by  some 
act  of  self-denial  on  her  part.  I  hope  that 
many  of  you  will  feel  just  as  tliis  little  girl 
felt,  and  do  just  as  she  did. 

When  I  was  in  America,  I  used  continually, 
when  preaching,  to  ask  the  dear  children 
whether  they  would  not  become  missionaries. 
I  used  also  to  beg  them  to  write  down  what  I 
had  asked  them.     Many  comj)lie(l  with  my  re- 


202  TALES   ABOUT   THE   HEATHEN. 

rjuest.  "While  I  was  at  the  Avon  Springs,  one 
of  the  daughters  of  a  physician  there,  not  only 
wrote  it  down,  but  gave  me  what  she  had 
written.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  what  she 
wrote. 

Qy^nc/t^  ^o  ne/^i.  ^1^771  wnen  Q^  a77t  ntota7Z. 

Could  I  raise  ray  voice  loud  enough  to  reach 
America,  I  would  beg  of  you  to  write  down 
the  following  sentence :  Dr.  Scudder  asks  me, 
to-day,  whether  I  will  not  hereafter  become  a 
missionary  to  the  heathen.  Perhaps  you  will 
write  it  down  immediately. 

Now,  my  dear  boys,  if  you  will  come  out  to 
India,  or  go  to  Burmah  or  China,  to  tell  the 
heathen  of  the  Saviour,  you  may,  with  the 
blessing  of  God,  do  as  much  good  as  Swartz 
and  Carey,  and  others  have  done.  And  if  you, 
my  dear  girls,  will  do  the  same,  you  also  may 
do  much  good.     This  will  appear  from  what  I 


l.ARORS   AMONG    TIIK    linATHKN.  203 

am  going  to  tell  you  about  a  little  girl  in  Cey- 
lon. This  little  girl  belonged  to  the  board- 
ing-school at  Oodooville.  She  early  gave  her 
heart  to  the  Saviour,  and  joined  the  church 
when  she  was  thirteen  years  old.  I  should 
like  to  know  if  there  are  any  of  you  who  have 
not  followed  her  example.  If  so,  this  is  not 
right.  My  dear  children,  it  is  not  right.  Shall 
this  little  girl,  in  a  heathen  land,  a  land  filled 
with  idols,  give  her  heart  to  Christ;  and  you, 
in  a  Christian  land,  a  land  of  Sabbaths,  and 
Sabbath-schools,  and  Bibles,  not  give  your 
hearts  to  him?  This  is  not  right.  You  know 
that  it  is  not  right. 

But  let  me  go  on  with  my  account  of  the 
little  girl.  After  she  had  joined  the  church, 
she  wanted  to  go  and  see  her  mother,  who  was 
a  heathen,  for  the  purpose  of  conversing  with 
her  about  her  soul's  concerns.  Now,  in  this 
country,  when  children  who  have  been  absent 
from  their  parents  for  any  length  of  time  go 
home,  the  mother  spreads  a  mat  down  on  the 
floor,  and  tells  them  to  sit  down  upon  it,  add- 
ing, that  she  will  go  and  cook  rice  for  them. 
They  have  no  seats  to  sit  on,  as  you  have  in 
America.     AYell,   this  little  girl   went  home. 


204      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

When  her  mother  saw  her,  she  was  very  glad  ; 
and  after  she  had  spread  a  ixiat  for  her,  and 
told  her  to  sit  down,  she  said  that  she  would 
go  and  cook  rice  for  her.  The  little  girl  told 
her  that  she  was  not  hungry,  and  did  not  wish 
to  eat,  but  wanted  to  talk  with  her.  ''  Yon 
cannot  talk  with  me,"  said  her  mother,  "  un- 
til I  have  cooked  rice  for  you."  "  Mother," 
said  the  little  girl,  "you  worship  idols,  and  I 
am  afraid  that  you  will  lose  your  soul,  and  I 
want  to  talk  with  you  about  Jesus  Christ." 
The  mother  became  quite  angry  with  her,  and 
rebuked  her.  But  still  the  little  girl  continued 
to  talk  with  her  about  her  soul.  The  mother 
then  became  so  angry,  that  she  told  her  to  be 
silent,  or  she  would  punish  her.  The  little 
girl  replied,  "  Mother,  though  you  do  whip  me, 
I  must  talk  to  you  about  Jesus  Christ,"  and 
she  burst  into  tears.  The  mother's  heart  was 
broken.  She  sat  down  on  the  mat,  and  her 
little  daughter  talked  with  her,  and  prayed 
with  her.  After  this  the  little  girl  was  so 
trojibled,  fearing  that  her  mother's  soul  might 
be  lost,  that  she  was  heard  praying  for  her 
during  all  parts  of  the  night.  And  God  heard 
her  prayers.     Her  mother  forsook   her   idols, 


LABORS   AMONG    THE    HEATHEN.  205 

and  became  a  Christian,  and  her  conversion 
was  followed  by  the  conversion  of  one  or  two 
others.  Now,  my  dear  little  girls,  if  you  will 
give  your  hearts  to  the  Saviour,  and  in  due 
time  come  here,  or  go  to  other  heathen  lands, 
and  tell  the  people  of  a  Saviour,  you  may,  with 
the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  as  useful  as 
this  little  girl  was. 

Female  missionaries  have  done  much  erood 
among  the  heathen.  I  mentioned  an  instance 
on  page  88,  to  prove  this.  Let  me  mention 
another  instance  more. 

In  the  year  1838,  an  Englisli  lady.  Miss 
Aldersey,  went  to  the  East,  at  her  own  ex- 
pense, to  promote  female  education  among  the 
Chinese.  At  that  time,  she  could  not  go  to 
China,  as  that  country  was  not  open  to  mis- 
sionaries. She  therefore  went  to  Java,  where 
there  was  a  colony  of  Chinese.  Here  she  hired 
a  house,  and  collected  about  twenty-five  girls, 
whom  she  clothed,  and  boarded,  and  taught. 
The  Lord  blessed  her  labors,  and  several  of 
these  girls  were  hopefully  converted.  AYhen 
their  parents  saw  that  they  would  no  longer 
worship  idols,  they  became  much  opposed  to 
the  school,  and  some  of  them  took  their  daugh- 


20G      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

ters  from  it.     In  the  year  1842,  God  opened 
the  door  for  the  entrance  of  the  Gospel  into 
China.     This  missionary  then  broke  up  her 
«chool  in  Java,  went  to  that  country,  and  re- 
sided in  the  city  of  Ningpo.     Of  the  girls  who 
had  become  Christians  while  under  her  care, 
two  were  much  persecuted  by  their  parents. 
They  were  whipped  and  beaten,  with  the  hope 
that  they  would  again  return  to  their  idols ; 
but  all  the  efforts  which  were  made  to  induce 
them  to   forsake  the   Saviour  were   in  vain. 
They  declared  that  they  would  sooner  die  than 
forsake  him.     When  their   parents  saw  that 
stripes  and  blows  were  of  no  avail,  they  deter- 
mined to  marry  them  to  men  who  were  much 
devoted  to  their  idols.     This  stratagem,  they 
thought,  might  succeed  in  destroying  all  their 
interest  in  their  new  religion.     Here,  however, 
they  were    again   foiled.     The   girls   became 
alarmed,    and   fled   from   their    parents.      An 
English  gentleman,  but  who  was  not  a  pro- 
fessor of  religion,   felt   deeply  interested  for 
them,  and  assisted  them  to  get  on  board  a 
ship  going  to  Batavia.     Here  they  were  pur- 
sued, but  escaped  from  the  pursuers  by  going 
on  board  of  a  ship  which  sailed  for  Singapore. 


SUCCESS  OF  MISSIONS.  207 

From  Singapore  they  sailed  for  China,  where 
they  were  permitted  to  join  the  old  friend  who 
had  been  the  means  of  their  conversion.  Tliis 
lady  collected  a  school  at  Ningpo  of  more  than 
tliirty  girls.  Thus  you  see  how  much  good 
female  missionaries  have  done  by  going  to  hea- 
then lands.  And  are  none  of  you  willino-  to 
follow  their  example  ?  Are  none  of  you  will- 
ing to  say,  Here  am  I,  Lord,  send  me*? 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

SUCCESS   OF  THE   GOSPEL  IX  INDIA  AND  CEYLON. 

My  dhar  Children — I  have  told  you  that 
India  is  a  very  dark  land,  but  there  are  a  few 
bright  spots  in  it.  Throu2:h  the  blessino-  of 
God  upon  the  prayers  of  his  people  in  Christian 
lands,  and  upon  the^:)rayers  and  labors  of  his 
missionary  servants,  many  of  the  heathen  of 
India  and  Ceylon  have  forsaken  their  idols,  and 
are  now  enlisted  under  the  banner  of  Jehovah 
Jesus.  In  the  Travancore  and  Tinnivelly  dis- 
tricts, to  say  nothing  of  the  success  of  the  Gos- 
pel in  other  places,  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  the  people  have  embraced  Cliristianity. 


208      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

In  hundreds  of  villages  where  but  a  few  years 
ago  the  name  of  Jesus  had  never  been  heard, 
it  is  now  known  and  adored. 

You  have  often  heard  of  Ceylon.  If  you 
will  look  at  the  map  of  Hindostan,  you  will 
find  it  close  to  that  country.  Here  Christian- 
ity has  begun  to  prevail.  This  island  is  two 
hundred  miles  long,  and  in  some  places  quite 
wide.  A  large  part  of  it  is  covered  with  what 
is  called  jungle.  Jungle  and  wilderness  mean 
'  the  same  thing.  In  this  jungle  there  are  many 
wild  beasts,  such  as  elephants,  bears,  wild 
hogs,  and  buffaloes.  In  it  also,  there  are  men, 
women,  and  children,  running  wild,  just  like 
the  wild  beasts.  This  people  are  called  Ver- 
ders,  or  wild  people.  They  wear  scarcely  any 
clothing.  They  have  no  houses.  When  it 
rains,  they  creep  into  holes,  or  go  under  ovej- 
hansfino;  rocks.  Their  beds  consist  of  a  few 
leaves.  Sunk  almost  to  the  level  of  the  brute, 
they  live  and  die  like  their  shaggy  companions 
of  the  forest.  Even  upon  these  the  Gospel 
has  tried  its  power.  More  than  fifty  families 
have  settled  down,  forming  two  pleasant,  and 
now  Christian  villages.  They  have  school- 
masters and  Christian  teachers. 


SUCCESP   OF   MISSIONS.  209 

I  must  give  you  a  description  of  two  revi- 
vals  of  religion  which  occurred  while  I  was  in 
the  island  of  Ceylon,  in  the  year  1833.  Before 
those  revivals  took  place,  there  was  no  partic- 
ular manifestation  of  much  seriousness  at  any 
uf  our  stations.  It  was  in  the  month  of  Octo- 
ber of  that  year,  that  we  began  to  feel  that  we 
must  labor  more,  and  pray  more  for  the  con- 
version of  perishing  souls.  A  protracted  meet- 
ing was  spoken  of,  and  it  was  determined  that 
one  should  be  held  at  our  seminary  in  Batti, 
cotta — a  seminary  which  was  established  for 
the  purpose  of  raising  up  a  native  ministry. 
On  the  morning  of  the  day  in  which  the  meet- 
ing was  commenced,  Mr.  Spaulding  and  myself 
went  to  that  station  to  assist  Mr.  Poor,  the 
principal  of  the  seminary,  in  laboring  with  the 
students.  In  these  labors  we  spent  five  days. 
It  was  good  to  be  there.  No  sooner  had  we 
begun  our  exercises,  than  a  blessing  from  on 
high  was  experienced.  The  windows  of  heaven 
were  opened,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  descended. 
This  was  evident  from  the  spirit  of  prayer 
wliich  was  poured  out  upon  the  pious  students 
of  the  seminary.  They  were  lieard  "  a  great 
wiiile  before  day''  pleading,  in  their  social  cir- 


:ji0       TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

cles,  that  God  would  have  mercy  upon  their 
impenitent  companions,  and  bring  them  into 
the  kingdom  of  his  grace.  We  trust,  also,  that 
a  spirit  of  prayer  was  given  to  those  of  us  who 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  meeting.  At  the 
termination  of  our  exercises,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  lads  belonging  to  a  Tamul  class, 
who  had  lately  been  admitted  to  the  seminary, 
there  was  not,  so  far  as  I  know,  an  individual 
connected  with  it,  who  was  not  humbled  at 
the  foot  of  the  cross,  either  to  lie  there  until 
healed  of  his  wounds,  or  to  show,  if  he  perished, 
that  he  must  perish  under  circumstances  of  a 
very  aggravated  nature. 

After  we  had  finished  our  meeting  at  Batti- 
cotta,  we  went  to  the  female  seminary  at 
Oodooville,  to  hold  similar  meetings.  Before 
we  reached  that  station,  the  church-members 
there,  after  having  heard  what  Grod  was  doing 
at  Batticotta,  became  very  much  aroused  to 
pray  for  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
descend  upon  the  impenitent  in  their  seminary 
also.  Soon  after  we  reached  the  station,  we 
'held  a  meeting  with  the  girls.  Some  of  them 
were  then  deeply  concerned  for  the  salvation 
of  their  souls  ;  but  it  was  not  until  "Wednesday 


SUCCESS   f)F    MISSIONS.  211 

afternoon,  that  we  knew  how  powerfully  the 
Spirit  of  God  had  been  at  work.  The  meetins: 
which  we  held  with  the  seminarists,  at  that 
time  was  one  of  the  most  solemn  meetings 
which  I  ever  attended.  One  of  them,  a  girl  of 
high  caste,  and  of  a  very  good  family,  said  to 
her  companions  in  that  meeting,  "  My  sisters. 
I  have  been  a  proud  one  among  you.  I  hope 
that  if  you  ever  see  me  proud  again,  you  will 
tell  me  of  it.  I  used  to  tell  the  missionaries, 
that  I  had  given  myself  to  the  Saviour,  but  I 
had  not  done  it."  Another  of  the  girls  burst 
into  tears,  and  cried  out  aloud.  As  she  could 
not  restrain  her  feelings,  and  did  not  wish  to 
disturb  the  assembly,  she  arose  and  left  it. 
She  retired  to  one  of  the  prayer-rooms  adjoin- 
ing the  seminary,  there  to  weep  alone.  She, 
however,  was  not  left  alone.  Mr.  Poor,  one  of 
my  missionary  associates,  followed  her,  and 
endeavored  to  administer  the  consolations  of 
the  Gospel  to  her ;  but  she  refused  to  be  com- 
forted. All  her  distress  seemed  to  arise  from 
a  single  source.  ''  I  told  you  a  falsehood," 
.said  she,  "  last  Monday,  in  saying  that  I  liad 
dedicated  myself  to  the  Saviour,  when  I  had 
not."     Perhaps  she  thought  at  that  time,  that 


212      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

she  had  thus  dedicated  herself  to  the  Saviour, 
but  afterwards  found  that  she  had  deceived 
herself.  In  this  v^Tetched  state  of  mind,  she 
continued  until  half-past  ten  o'clock  that  night, 
when  she  came  into  Mr.  Spaulding's  house, 
where  I  then  was,  and  wished  to  know  what 
she  must  do  to  be  saved.  She  was  told,  as  she 
had  often  been  told  before,  that  she  must  dedi- 
cate herself  entirely  to  her  Saviour.  She  went 
away,  and  returned  the  same  night  at  about 
half-past  eleven  o'clock,  saying,  that  she  had 
found  Him. 

"  Friends,  is  not  my  case  amazing  ? 
What  a  Saviour  I  have  found," 

My  dear  young  friends,  are  there  any  of  you 
who  have  never  given  your  hearts  to  Christ? 
If  so,  let  me  entreat  you  to  follow  tjie  example 
of  that  dear  little  girl  of  whom  I  have  now 
been  speaking.  She  found  it  to  be  necessary 
to  give  her  heart  to  the  Saviour,  and  I  hope 
that  she  did  give  it  to  him.  0  that  you  too 
might  give  up  your  hearts  to  him.  Alas,  if  you 
do  not,  you  must  soon  go  down  to  eternal  burn- 
ings, where  you  will  be  constrained  to  cry  out. 
Lost,  lost,  lost  for  ever !     Be  careful,  my  dear 


SUCCESS   OF   MIHSIONJ*.  213 

children,  0  be  careful  that  this  young  girl  docs 
not  rise  up  against  you  in  the  last  day,  and 
condemn  you.  She  must  do  so — she  will  do  so, 
if  you  do  not,  like  her,  choose  Christ  as  your 
portion.  But  I  am  digressing,  and  must  go 
back  to  the  point  I  left. 

The  next  day,  one  of  our  missionary  sisters, 
who  had  lately  reached  Ceylon  from  America, 
came  to  Oodooville,  to  witness  the  nature  of 
the  work  which  she  heard  was  in  progress  at 
that  place.  As  she  was  entering  Mr.  Spauld- 
ing's  house,  she  was  met  by  one  of  the  most 
consistent  church-members  of  the  seminary, 
who  declared  that  she  had  lost  her  hope  of  be- 
ing a  Christian.  Perhaps  this  church-member 
was  disposed  to  write  bitter  things  against  her- 
self, because  she  did  not  feel  all  that  warmth 
in  religion  which  marked  the  conduct  of  those 
who,  at  that  time,  were  indulging  the  hope 
that  they  had  passed  from  death  to  life.  After 
the  sister  to  whom  I  alluded  had  been  in  the 
liouse  a  little  while,  she  requested  Mrs.  Spauld- 
ing  to  allow  her  to  have  an  interview  with 
such  of  the  girls  as  were  entertaining  a  hope 
of  their  interest  in  the  Saviour.  These  were 
twenty-two  in  number.     This  interview  was 


214      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

granted.  As  she  knew  nothing  about  the 
Tamul  language,  I  acted  as  her  interpreter. 
Through  me,  she  requested  the  girls  to  give  a 
statement  of  their  feelings.  One  of  them  arose, 
and  said,  "  I  feel  as  happy  as  an  angel.  I  feel 
joys  that  I  can  express  to  no  one  but  my  Sav- 
iour ;  and  I  am  just  as  certain  that  my  sins  are 
forgiven,  as  if  I  had  sent  up  a  karduthaase,"  that 
is,  a  letter  to  heaven,  "  and  received  an  answer 
to  it."  Another  of  the  girls  said,  that  the 
missionaries  had  often  talked  with  her  about 
her  dedicating  herself  to  the  Saviour,  but  that 
she  did  not  then  know  what  it  meant.  ''  I  now 
know,"  added  she,  ''  what  it  means,  for  God 
has  taught  it  to  me."  Another  of  the  girls 
said,  ''  Though  they  put  me  in  the  fire,  I  will 
never  forsake  the  Saviour." 

Now,  my  dear  children,  I  must  bid  you  fare- 
well. Probably  I  shall  never  see  you,  unless 
you  come  to  this  heathen  land,  until  I  meet 
you  at  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ.  If  you  do 
not  become  missionaries,  most  of  you  will  prob- 
ably die,  and  be  buried  where  you  now  are. 
Probably  I  shall  die  in  this  heathen  land.  But 
we  shall  not  always  sleep  in  our  graves.  Af- 
ter a  little  season,  the  archangel's  trumpet  will 


SUCCESS  OF  MISSIONS.  21-3 

sound,  and  you  in  America,  and  I  in  India, 
shall  bear  his  voice  proclaiming.  Awake,  ye 
dead,  and  come  to  judgment.  And  we  shall 
all  at  once  rise  from  our  graves,  and  stand  be- 
fore our  Judge,  And  where  shall  I  then  see 
you  ?  Shall  I  see  any  of  you  on  the  left  hand 
of  Christ,  and  hear  him  say,  ''  Depart,  ye 
cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the 
devil  and  his  angels?"  0,  if  I  should  hear 
that  dreadful  sentence  pronounced  against  you, 
how  would  my  heart  die  within  me.  How 
could  I  bear  to  hear  it.  Oh,  I  could  not — I 
could  not  bear  to  hear  it.  My  dear  children, 
if  you  are  yet  out  of  Christ,  I  entreat  you,  at 
this  very  moment^  to  lay  down  this  book,  and 
throw  yourselves  at  the  feet  of  your  Saviour. 
Tell  him,  that  you  are  lost  sinners,  deserving 
to  be  cast  into  everlasting  burnings.  Tell  him, 
that  though  you  have  been  wicked  children, 
you  will  leave  off  your  wickedness,  and  be  his 
for  ever.  Plead  with  him,  with  as  much  ear- 
nestness as  a  drowning  man  would  plead  with 
you  to  save  him,  to  give  you  the  influences  of 
his  Holy  Spirit,  to  create  within  you  a  clean 
heart,  and  renew  within  you  a  right  spirit, 
without  which  you  are  eternally  undone ;  and 


216      TALES  ABOUT  THE  HEATHEN. 

continue  to  plead,  until  he  pardons  you,  and 
receives  you  as  his  children.  By  all  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  Son  of  God,  by  all  the  joys  of 
heaven,  by  all  the  torments  of  hell,  by  the 
solemnities  of  your  dying  bed,  by  the  value  of 
your  immortal  souls,  ivhich^  if  once  lost^  must 
be  lost  for  ever,  I  beseech  you  thus  immedi- 
ately to  throw  yourselves  at  his  feet,  and  plead 
with  him  to  make  you  his.  Neglect  this  duty — 
neglect  giving  yourselves  to  Christ,  even  for 
one  minute,  and  it  may  be,  that  you  will  be 
lost,  vea.  LOST  for  ever. 


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